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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

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OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


MAY 


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LIBRARY, 

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* * 


THE 


JUtoes  of  tl)e  faints 


REV.   S.   BARING-GOULD 

SIXTEEN    VOLUMES 

VOLUME   THE   FIRST 


*• * 


First  Edition published  1S72 

Second  Edition         ....  ,,         f$97 

New  and  Revised  Edition,   16  vols.  ,,         J9J4 


SILVER-GILT    MONSTRANCE, 
In  the  Treasury  of  the  Cathedral,  Aix-la-Chapelle. 


Jan.,  Frontispiece.] 


* % 

THE 

3Lite  of  tije  g>aint0 

BY   THE 

REV.  S.  BARING-GOULD,  M.A. 


With   Introduction  and  Additional   Lives  of  English 

Martyrs,  Cornish,  Scottish,  and  Welsh  Saints, 

and  a  full  Index  to  the  Entire  Work 


New  and  Revised  Edition 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  473  ENGRAVINGS 
VOLUME   THE  FIRST 


EDINBURGH:   JOHN   GRANT 

31    GEORGE    IV   BRIDGE 

1914 

jt # 

.   a  v  3  3 


Printed  by  Ballantyne,  Hanson  &°  Co. 
at  the  Lallantyne  Press,  Edinburgh 


i  NCI  PIT    PROLOGUS. 


Jan.,  p.  v. 


» TT7? ' 

V,  / 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE 

TO    FIRST    EDITION 
(1872) 


[HE  LIVES  OF  THE  SAINTS,  which  I 
have  begun,  is  an  undertaking,  of  whose 
difficulty  few  can  have  any  idea.  Let  it 
be  remembered,  that  there  were  Saints  in 
every  century,  for  eighteen  hundred  years;  that  their 
Acts  are  interwoven  with  the  profane  history  of  their 
times,  and  that  the  history,  not  of  one  nation  only, 
but  of  almost  every  nation  under  the  sun;  that  the 
records  of  these  lives  are  sometimes  fragmentary, 
sometimes  mere  hints  to  be  culled  out  of  secular 
history;  that  authentic  records  have  sometimes  suf- 
fered interpolation,  and  that  some  records  are  forgeries; 
that  the  profane  history  with  which  the  lives  of  the 
Saints  is  mixed  up  is  often  dark  and  hard  to  be  read ; 
and  then  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  difficulty  of 
this  undertaking. 

After  having  had  to  free  the  Acts  of  a  martyr  from 
a  late  accretion  of  fable,  and  to  decide  whether  the 
passion  took  place  under — say  Decius  or  Diocletian, 
Claudius  the  Elder,  or  Claudius  the  younger, — the 
writer  of  a  hagiology  is  hurried  into  Byzantine  politics, 
and  has  to  collect  the  thread  of  a  saintly  confessor's 

* — * 


* * 

vi         Author's  Preface  to  First  Edition 


life  from  the  tangle  of  political  and  ecclesiastical  in- 
trigue, in  that  chaotic  period  when  emperors  rose 
and  fell,  and  patriarchs  succeeded  each  other  with 
bewildering  rapidity.  And  thence  he  is,  by  a  step, 
landed  in  the  romance  world  of  Irish  hagiology,  where 
the  footing  is  as  insecure  as  on  the  dark  bogs  of  the 
Emerald  Isle.  Thence  he  strides  into  the  midst  of 
the  wreck  of  Charlemagne's  empire,  to  gather  among 
the  splinters  of  history  a  few  poor  mean  notices  of 
those  holy  ones  living  then,  whose  names  have  sur- 
vived, but  whose  acts  are  all  but  lost.  And  then  the 
scene  changes,  and  he  treads  the  cool  cloister  of  a 
mediaeval  abbey,  to  glean  materials  for  a  memoir  of 
some  peaceful  recluse,  which  may  reflect  the  crystalline 
purity  of  the  life  without  being  wholly  colourless  of 
incident. 

And  then,  maybe,  he  has  to  stand  in  the  glare  of 
the  great  conflagration  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
mark  some  pure  soul  passing  unscathed  through  the 
fire,  like  the  lamp  in  Abraham's  vision. 

That  one  man  can  do  justice  to  this  task  is  not  to 
be  expected.  When  Bellarmine  heard  of  the  under- 
taking of  Rosweydus,  he  asked  "What  is  this  man's 
age  ?  does  he  expect  to  live  two  hundred  years  ? " 
But  for  the  work  of  the  Bollandists,  it  would  have 
been  an  impossibility  for  me  to  undertake  this  task. 
But  even  with  this  great  store-house  open,  the  work 
to  be  got  through  is  enormous.  Bollandus  began 
January  with  two  folios  in  double  columns,  close  print, 
of  1 200  pages  each.  As  he  and  his  coadjutors  pro- 
ceeded, fresh  materials  came  in,  and  February  occupies 
three  volumes.     May  swelled  into  seven  folios,  Sep- 

* — * 


* * 

Authors  Preface  to  First  Edition       vii 

tember  into  eight,  and  October  into  ten.  It  was  begun 
in  1643,  and  the  fifty- seventh  volume  appeared  in  186 1. 

The  labour  of  reading,  digesting,  and  selecting  from 
this  library  is  enormous.  .With  so  much  material  it  is 
hard  to  decide  what  to  omit,  but  such  a  decision  must 
be  made,  for  the  two  volumes  of  January  have  to  be 
crushed  into  one,  not  a  tenth  of  the  size  of  one  of 
Bollandus,  and  the  ten  volumes  for  October  must 
suffer  compression  to  an  hundredth  degree,  so  as  to 
occupy  the  same  dimensions.  I  had  two  courses  open 
to  me.  One  to  give  a  brief  outline,  bare  of  incident, 
of  the  life  of  every  Saint ;  the  other  to  diminish  the 
number  of  lives,  and  present  them  to  the  reader  in 
greater  fulness,  and  with  some  colour.  I  have  adopted 
this  latter  course,  but  I  have  omitted  no  Saint  of  great 
historical  interest.  I  have  been  compelled  to  put  aside 
a  great  number  of  lesser  known  saintly  religious, 
whose  eventless  lives  flowed  uniformly  in  prayer,  vigil, 
and  mortification. 

In  writing  the  lives  of  the  Saints,  I  have  used  my 
discretion,  also,  in  relating  only  those  miracles  which 
are  most  remarkable,  either  for  being  fairly  well 
authenticated,  or  for  their  intrinsic  beauty  or  quaint- 
ness,  or  because  they  are  often  represented  in  art, 
and  are  therefore  of  interest  to  the  archaeologist.  That 
errors  in  judgment,  and  historical  inaccuracies,  have 
crept  into  this  volume,  and  may  find  their  way  into 
those  that  succeed,  is,  I  fear,  inevitable.  All  I  can 
promise  is,  that  I  have  used  my  best  endeavours  to 
be  accurate,  having  had  recourse  to  all  such  modern 
critical  works  as  have  been  accessible  to  me,  for  the 
determining  of  dates,  and  the  estimation  of  authorities. 

vol.  1.  b 

* >j, 


* -* 

viii       Author's  Preface  to  First  Edition 

Believing  that  in  some  three  thousand  and  six  hun- 
dred memoirs  of  men,  many  of  whose  lives  closely 
resembled  each  other,  it  would  be  impossible  for  me 
to  avoid  a  monotony  of  style  which  would  become  as 
tedious  to  the  reader  as  vexatious  to  myself,  I  have 
occasionally  admitted  the  lives  of  certain  Saints  by 
other  writers,  thereby  giving  a  little  freshness  to  the 
book,  where  there  could  not  fail  otherwise  to  have 
been  aridity ;  but  I  have,  I  believe,  in  no  case,  inserted 
a  life  by  another  pen,  without  verifying  the  authorities. 

At  the  head  of  every  article  the  authority  for  the  life 
is  stated,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred  for  fuller 
details.  The  editions  of  these  authorities  are  not 
given,  as  it  would  have  greatly  extended  the  notices, 
and  such  information  can  readily  be  obtained  from 
that  invaluable  guide  to  the  historian  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  Potthast  :  Bibliotheca  Historica  Medii  sEvi, 
Berlin,  1862;  the  second  part  of  which  is  devoted  to 
the  Saints. 

I  have  no  wish  that  my  work  should  be  regarded  as 
intended  to  supplant  that  of  Alban  Butler.  My  line  is 
somewhat  different  from  his.  He  confined  his  atten- 
tion to  the  historical  outlines  of  the  saintly  lives,  and 
he  rarely  filled  them  in  with  anecdote.  Yet  it  is  the 
little  details  of  a  man's  life  that  give  it  character,  and 
impress  themselves  on  the  memory.  People  forget 
the  age  and  parentage  of  S.  Gertrude,  but  they  re- 
member the  mouse  running  up  her  staff. 

A  priest  of  the  Anglican  Church,  I  have  undertaken 
to  write  a  book  which  I  hope  and  trust  will  be  welcome 
to  Roman  and  Anglican  Catholics,  alike.  It  would 
have  been  unseemly  to  have  carried  prejudice,  imper- 

*■ — * 


* * 

Author's  Preface  to  First  Edition         ix 

tinent  to  have  obtruded  sectarianism,  into  a  work  like 
this.  I  have  been  called  to  tread  holy  ground,  and 
kneel  in  the  midst  of  the  great  company  of  the  blessed ; 
and  the  only  fitting  attitude  of  the  mind  for  such  a 
place,  and  such  society,  is  reverence.  In  reading  the 
miracles  recorded  of  the  Saints,  of  which  the  number 
is  infinite,  the  proper  spirit  to  observe  is,  not  doubt, 
but  discrimination.  Because  much  is  certainly  apocry- 
phal in  these  accounts,  we  must  not  therefore  reject 
what  may  be  true.  The  present  age,  in  its  vehement 
naturalism,  places  itself,  as  it  were,  outside  of  the 
circle  of  spiritual  phenomena,  and  is  as  likely  to  deny 
the  supernatural  agency  in  a  marvel,  as  a  mediaeval  was 
liable  to  attribute  a  natural  phenomenon  to  spiritual 
causes.  In  such  cases  we  must  consider  the  evidence 
and  its  worth  or  worthlessness.  It  may  be  that,  in 
God's  dealings  with  men,  at  a  time  when  natural  means 
of  cure  were  unattainable,  the  supernatural  should 
abound,  but  that  when  the  science  of  medicine  became 
perfected,  and  the  natural  was  rendered  available  to  all, 
the  supernatural  should,  to  some  extent,  at  least,  be 
withdrawn. 

Of  the  Martyrologies  referred  to,  it  may  be  as  well 
to  mention  the  dates  of  the  most  important  That  of 
Ado  is  of  the  ninth  century,  Bede's  of  the  eighth;1 
there  are  several  bearing  the  name  of  S.  Jerome, 
which  differ  from  one  another,  they  are  forms  of  the 
ancient  Roman  Martyrology.  The  Martyrology  of 
Notker  (D.  912),  of  Rabanus  Maurus  (d.  856),  of 
Usuardus  (875),  of  Wandalbert  (circ.  881).  The 
general  catalogue  of  the  Saints  by  Ferrarius  was 
1  This  only  exists  in  an  interpolated  condition. 

£, .(j, 


*. * 

x  Author's  Preface  to  First  Edition 

published  in  1625,  the  Martyrology  of  Maurolycus 
was  composed  in  1450,  and  published  1568.  The 
modern  Roman  Martyrology  is  based  on  that  of  Usu- 
ardus.  It  is  impossible,  in  the  limited  space  available 
for  a  preface,  to  say  all  that  is  necessary  on  the  various 
Kalendars,  and  Martyrologies,  that  exist,  also  on  the 
mode  in  which  some  of  the  Saints  have  received 
apotheosis.  Comparatively  few  Saints  have  received 
formal  canonization  at  Rome ;  popular  veneration  was 
regarded  as  sufficient  in  the  mediaeval  period,  before 
order  and  system  were  introduced;  thus  there  are 
many  obscure  Saints,  famous  in  their  own  localities, 
and  perhaps  entered  in  the  kalendar  of  the  diocese, 
whose  claims  to  their  title  have  never  been  authori- 
tatively inquired  into,  and  decided  upon.  There  is  also 
great  confusion  in  the  monastic  kalendars  in  appropri- 
ating titles  to  those  commemorated;  here  a  holy  one 
is  called  "  the  Venerable,"  there  "  the  Blessed,"  and  in 
another  "  Saint."  With  regard  also  to  the  estimation 
of  authorities,  the  notes  of  genuineness  of  the  Acts  of 
the  martyrs,  the  tests  whereby  apocryphal  lives  and 
interpolations  may  be  detected,  I  should  have  been 
glad  to  have  been  able  to  make  observations.  But 
this  is  a  matter  which  there  is  not  space  to  enter 
upon  here. 

The  author  cannot  dismiss  the  work  without  ex- 
pressing a  hope  that  it  may  be  found  to  meet  a  want 
which  he  believes  has  long  been  felt ;  for  English 
literature  is  sadly  deficient  in  the  department  of 
hagiology. 


* * 


gf * 


INTRODUCTION 


LIVES    OF    THE    SAINTS 


THE   MARTYROLOGIES 

MARTYROLOGY  means,  properly,  a  list 
of  witnesses.  The  martyrologies  are  cata- 
logues in  which  are  to  be  found  the  names 
of  the  Saints,  with  the  days  and  places  of 
their  deaths,  and  generally  with  the  distinctive  char- 
acter of  their  sanctity,  and  with  an  historic  summary 
of  their  lives.  The  name  is  incorrect  if  we  use  the 
word  "martyr"  in  its  restricted  sense  as  a  witness 
unto  death.  "  Hagiology "  would  be  more  suitable, 
as  a  martyrology  includes  the  names  of  many  Saints 
who  were  not  martyrs.  But  the  term  "  Martyrology  " 
was  given  to  this  catalogue  at  an  early  age,  when  it 
was  customary  to  commemorate  only  those  who  were 
properly  martyrs,  having  suffered  death  in  testimony 
to  their  faith ;  but  it  is  not  unsuitable  if  we  regard  as 
martyrs  all  those  who  by  their  lives  have  testified  to 
the  truth,  as  indeed  we  are  justified  in  doing. 

In  the  primitive  Church  it  was  customary  for  the 

* * 


* -* 

xii  Introduction 

Holy  Eucharist  to  be  celebrated  on  the  anniversary 
of  the  death  of  a  martyr — if  possible,  on  his  tomb. 
Where  in  one  diocese  there  were  several  martyrs,  as, 
for  instance,  in  that  of  Caesarea,  there  were  many  days 
in  the  year  on  which  these  commemorations  were  made, 
and  the  Church — say  that  of  Caesarea — drew  up  a 
calendar  with  the  days  marked  on  which  these  festivals 
occurred. 

In  his  "Church  History,"  Eusebius  quotes  a  letter 
from  the  Church  of  Smyrna,  in  which,  after  giving  an 
account  of  the  martyrdom  of  their  bishop,  S.  Polycarp, 
the  disciple  of  S.  John  the  Divine,  the  Smyrnians 
observe :  "  Our  subtle  enemy,  the  devil,  did  his  utmost 
that  we  should  not  take  away  the  body,  as  many  of  us 
anxiously  wished.  It  was  suggested  that  we  should 
desert  our  crucified  Master,  and  begin  to  worship 
Polycarp.  Fools !  who  knew  not  that  we  can  never 
desert  Christ,  who  died  for  the  salvation  of  all  men, 
nor  worship  any  other.  Him  we  adore  as  the  Son 
of  God ;  but  we  show  respect  to  the  martyrs,  as  His 
disciples  and  followers.  The  centurion,  therefore, 
caused  the  body  to  be  burned ;  we  then  gathered  his 
bones,  more  precious  than  pearls,  and  more  tried 
than  gold,  and  buried  them.  In  this  place,  God 
willing,  we  will  meet,  and  celebrate  with  joy  and  glad- 
ness the  birthday  of  this  martyr,  as  well  in  memory 
of  those  who  have  been  crowned  before,  as  by  his 
example  to  prepare  and  strengthen  others  for  the 
combat." x 

S.  Polycarp  suffered  in  the  year  166;  he  had  been 
ordained  Bishop  of  Smyrna  by  S.  John  in  96.     This 

1  Euseb.,  "  Hist  Eccl.,"  lib.  iv.,  cap.  xv. 
* j« 


* -*l 

Introduction  xiii 

passage  is  extremely  interesting,  for  it  shows  us,  in  the 
age  following  that  of  the  apostles,  the  Church  already 
keeping  the  festivals  of  martyrs,  and,  as  we  may  con- 
clude from  the  words  of  the  letter,  over  the  tombs  of 
the  martyrs.  In  this  the  Church  was  following  the 
pattern  shown  to  S.  John  in  vision ;  for  he  heard  the 
cry  of  the  souls  of  the  martyrs  reposing  under  the  altar 
in  heaven.  Guided,  doubtless,  by  this,  the  Church 
erected  altars  over  the  bodies  of  saints.  Among  the 
early  Christian  writers  there  are  two,  S.  Paulinus  of 
Nola,  and  Prudentius,  whose  testimony  is  of  intrinsic 
value,  not  only  from  its  being  curiously  interesting,  but 
because  it  is  so  full  and  unequivocal  as  to  the  fact  of 
the  tombs  of  the  martyrs  being  used  as  altars.1  In 
one  of  his  letters  to  Severus,  S.  Paulinus  encloses 
some  verses  of  his  own  composition,  which  were  to 
be  inscribed  over  the  altar  under  which  was  deposited 
the  body  of  S.  Clavus,  of  whom  the  venerable  prelate 
says: 

"  Sancta  sub  seternis  altaribus  ossa  quiescunt."2 

Before  describing  the  basilica  of  Nola,  the  Saint 
proceeds  to  give  a  sketch  of  another  but  a  smaller 
church,  which  he  had  just  erected  in  the  town  of  Fondi. 
After  furnishing  some  details  about  this  latter  edifice, 
he  says,  "The  sacred  ashes — some  of  the  blessed 
relics  of  the  apostles  and  martyrs — shall  consecrate 
this  little  basilica  also  in  the  name  of  Christ,  the  Saint 
of  saints,   the  Martyr  of  martyrs,   and   the   Lord   of 

1  S.  Paulinus  was  born  a.d.  353,  and  elected  Bishop  of  Nola  A.D.  409. 
Prudentius  was  born  a.d.  348. 

2  Ep.  xii.,  ad  Severum,  "  His  holy  bones  'neath  lasting  altars  rest." 

* "* 


* _ £, 

xiv  Introduction 

lords." *  For  this  church  two  inscriptions  were  com- 
posed by  Paulinus :  one,  to  accompany  the  painting 
with  which  he  had  adorned  the  apse;  the  other,  to 
announce  that  portions  of  the  relics  of  the  Apostle 
S.  Andrew,  of  the  Evangelist  S.  Luke,  and  of  S. 
Nazarius,  and  other  martyrs,  were  deposited  under 
the  altar.     His  verses  may  be  thus  rendered : 

•'  In  royal  shrines,  with  purple  marble  graced, 
Their  bones  are  under  lighted  altars  placed. 
A  holy  band  enshrined  in  one  small  chest, 
Full  mighty  names  within  its  tiny  breast." 

Prudentius  visited  not  only  the  more  celebrated 
churches  in  Spain  built  over  the  bodies  of  the  martyrs, 
he  being  a  Spaniard  by  birth,  but  he  also  visited  those 
of  Italy  and  Rome  on  a  journey  made  in  405.  During 
his  residence  in  the  capital  of  Christianity,  the  poet 
frequented  the  catacombs;  and  he  has  bequeathed  to 
us  a  valuable  record  of  what  he  there  saw.  In  his 
hymn  in  honour  of  S.  Hippolytus,  he  tells  us  that  he 
visited  the  sepulchral  chapel  in  which  were  deposited 
the  remains  of  the  martyr  ;  and,  after  having  described 
the  entrance  into  the  cemetery,  and  the  frescoes  that 
adorned  it,  he  adds : 

"  In  gloomy  cave  the  martyr's  corpse  is  placed, 
And  there  to  God  with  sacred  altars  graced, 
To  give  the  sacrament  the  board  is  spread, 
And  zealous  guard  the  holy  martyr's  bed. 
The  bones  are  resting  in  this  hallowed  tomb, 
To  wait  th'  eternal  Judge's  gracious  boon  ; 
And  there  with  holy  food  are  nourished  those 
Who  call  on  Christ  where  tawny  Tiber  flows."2 

1  Ep.  xii.,  ad  Severum.                                2  Hymn  xi. 
*—  — >£ 


* £, 

Introduction  xv 

In  his  other  hymns,  Prudentius  bears  the  most 
unequivocal  testimony  to  the  practice,  even  then  a  long 
time  in  use,  of  depositing  the  relics  of  the  Saints 
immediately  under  the  altar.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
quote  more.  The  assertions  of  ancient  writers  on  this 
point  have  been  several  times  verified.  The  bodies  of 
the  martyrs  have  been  discovered  under  the  high  altars 
of  the  churches  dedicated  to  God  in  their  memory. 
The  body  of  S.  Martina,  together  with  those  of  two 
other  martyrs,  SS.  Concordens  and  Epiphanius,  were 
found  in  1624  under  the  high  altar  of  the  ancient 
church  near  the  Roman  Forum,  which  bears  the 
name  of  the  Saint.  The  body  of  S.  Agnes,  and  that 
of  another  virgin  martyr,  were  also  ascertained  to 
be  under  the  high  altar  of  her  church,  denominated 
Fuori  delle  Mura.  These,  however,  had  all  been 
removed  from  the  Catacombs  into  Rome,  within  the 
walls. 

Now  this  fact  being  established,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  annual  commemoration  of  the  Saint  reposing  in  the 
church,  it  follows  that  it  became  necessary  for  a  Church 
to  draw  up  calendars  marking  those  days  in  the  year 
which  were  consecrated  to  the  memory  of  martyrs 
whose  relics  were  preserved  in  it ;  for  instance,  in 
the  Church  of  Fondi,  which  contained  relics  of  S. 
Andrew,  S.  Luke,  S.  Nazarius,  and  others,  the  Holy 
Eucharist  would  be  celebrated  over  the  relics  on  the 
day  of  S.  Andrew,  on  that  of  S.  Luke,  on  that  of 
S.  Nazarius,  and  so  on  ;  and  it  would  be  necessary 
for  the  Church  to  have  a  calendar  of  the  days  thus 
set  apart. 

In  the  first  centuries  of  the  Church,  not  only  the 

« gi 


* * 

xvi  Introduction 

Saints  whose  bodies  reposed  in  the  church,  but  also 
the  dead  of  the  congregation  were  commemorated. 

When  a  Roman  Consul  was  elected,  on  entering 
on  his  office  he  distributed  among  his  friends  certain 
presents,  called  diptychs.  These  diptychs  were  fold- 
ing tablets  of  ivory  or  boxwood,  sometimes  of  silver, 
connected  together  by  hinges,  so  that  they  could  be 
shut  or  opened  like  a  book.  The  exterior  surface 
was  richly  carved,  and  generally  bore  a  portrait  of  the 
Consul  who  gave  them  away.  Upon  the  inner  surface 
was  written  an  epistle  which  accompanied  the  present, 
or  a  panegyric  on  himself.  They  were  reminders  to 
friends,  given  much  as  a  Christmas  card  is  now  sent. 
The  diptych  speedily  came  into  use  in  the  Church. 
As  the  Consul  on  his  elevation  sent  one  to  his  friends 
to  remind  them  of  his  exaltation,  so,  on  a  death  in  the 
congregation,  a  diptych  was  sent  to  the  priest  as  a 
reminder  of  the  dead  who  desired  the  prayers  of  the 
faithful.  At  first,  no  doubt,  there  was  a  pack  of  these 
little  memorials,  each  bearing  the  name  of  the  person 
who  desired  to  be  remembered  at  the  altar.  But,  for 
convenience,  one  double  tablet  was  after  a  while 
employed  instead  of  a  number,  and  all  the  names  of 
those  who  were  to  be  commemorated  were  written  in 
this  book.  From  the  ancient  liturgies  we  gather  that 
it  was  the  office  of  the  deacon  to  rehearse  aloud,  to 
the  people  and  the  priest,  this  catalogue  registered  in 
the  public  diptychs.  In  the  "  Ecclesiastical  Hier- 
archy," attributed  to  S.  Dionysius  the  Areopagite,  but 
really  of  a  later  date,  the  end  of  the  fifth  century,  the 
author  says  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  Eucharist,  that 
after  the  kiss  of  peace,  "When  all  have  reciprocally 

* * 


* * 

Introduction  xvii 

saluted  one  another,  there  is  made  the  mystic  recitation 
of  the  sacred  tablets."  x  In  the  Liturgy  of  S.  Mark  we 
have  this,  "The  deacon  reads  the  diptychs  (or  cata- 
logue) of  the  dead.  The  priest  then  bowing  down 
prays :  To  the  souls  of  all  these,  O  Sovereign  Lord 
our  God,  grant  repose  in  Thy  holy  tabernacle,  in 
Thy  kingdom,  bestowing  on  them  the  good  things 
promised  and  prepared  by  Thee,"  etc. 

It  is  obvious  that  after  a  while  the  number  of  names 
continually  swelling  would  become  too  great  to  be 
recited  at  once.  It  became  necessary,  therefore,  to 
take  some  names  on  one  day,  others  on  another.  And 
this  originated  the  Necrologium,  or  catalogue  of  the 
dead.  The  custom  of  reading  the  diptychs  has  ceased 
to  be  observed  in  the  Roman  Liturgy,  though  we  find 
it  indicated  there  by  the  "  Oratio  supra  Diptycha." 
At  present,  when  the  celebrating  priest  arrives  at  that 
part  of  the  Canon  called  the  "Memento,"  he  secretly 
commemorates  those  for  whose  souls  he  more  par- 
ticularly wishes  to  pray. 

But,  in  addition  to  the  diptychs  of  those  for  whom 
the  priest  and  congregation  were  desired  to  pray,  there 
was  the  catalogue  of  the  Martyrs  and  Saints  for  whom 
the  Church  thanked  God.  For  instance,  in  the  modern 
Roman  Mass,  in  the  Canon  we  have  this  commemora- 
tion:  "Joining  in  communion  with,  and  reverencing, 
in  the  first  place,  the  memory  of  the  glorious  and  ever- 
virgin  Mary,  Mother  of  our  God  and  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
as  also  of  Thy  blessed  apostles  and  martyrs,  Peter  and 
Paul,  Andrew,  James,  John,  Thomas,  James,  Philip, 
Bartholomew,  Matthew,  Simon  and  Thaddaeus;  Linus, 

1  "  Eccl.  Hierarch.,"  cap.  iii. 


*. . X 

xviii  Introduction 

Cletus,  Clement,  Xystus,  Cornelius,  Cyprian,  Laurence, 
Chrysogonus,  John  and  Paul,  Cosmas  and  Damian,  and 
of  all  Thy  Saints,"  etc.  This  is  obviously  a  mere  frag- 
ment of  a  commemoration  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  of  the 
apostles,  and  then  of  the  special  Roman  martyrs.  The 
catalogue  of  the  Saints  to  be  remembered  was  long; 
there  were  hundreds  of  martyrs  at  Rome  alone,  and 
their  names  were  written  down  on  sacred  diptychs 
especially  appropriated  to  this  purpose.  Such  an  in- 
scription was  equivalent  to  the  present  ceremony  of 
canonization.  The  term  canonization  itself  tells  the 
history  of  the  process.  It  is  derived  from  that  part 
of  the  Mass  called  the  Canon,  in  which  occurs  that 
memorial  already  quoted.  On  the  day  when  the 
Pope,  after  a  scrutinizing  examination  into  the  sanctity 
of  a  servant  of  God,  formally  inscribes  him  among 
the  Saints,  he  adds  his  name  at  the  end  of  those 
already  enumerated  in  the  Canon,  after  "  Cosmas 
and  Damian,"  and  immediately  reads  Mass,  adding 
this  name  at  this  place.  Formerly  every  bishop 
could  and  did  canonize  —  that  is,  add  the  name  of 
any  local  Saint  or  martyr  worthy  of  commemoration 
in  his  diocese. 

When  the  list  became  long,  it  was  found  impracti- 
cable to  commemorate  all  notninatim  at  once,  and  the 
Saints  were  named  on  their  special  days.  Thus,  out 
of  one  set  of  diptychs  grew  the  Necrologium,  and  out 
of  the  other  the  Martyrology. 

The  Church  took  pains  to  collect  and  commit  to 
writing  the  acts  of  the  martyrs.  This  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at;  for  the  martyrs  are  the  heroes  of 
Christianity,  and  as  the  world  has  her  historians  to 

* * 


* £, 

Introduction  xix 

record  the  achievements  of  the  warriors  who  have 
gained  renown  in  conflict  for  power,  so  the  Church 
had  her  officers  to  record  the  victories  that  her  sons 
won  over  the  world  and  Satan.  The  Saints  are  the 
elect  children  of  the  spouse  of  Christ,  the  precious 
fruit  of  her  body ;  they  are  her  crown  of  glory.  And 
when  these  dear  children  quit  her  to  reap  their 
eternal  reward,  the  mother  retains  precious  memorials 
of  them,  and  holds  up  their  example  to  her  other 
children  to  encourage  them  to  follow  their  glorious 
traces. 

The  first  to  institute  an  order  of  scribes  to  take 
down  the  acts  of  the  martyrs  was  S.  Clement,  the 
disciple  of  S.  Peter,  as  we  are  told  by  Pope  S. 
Damasus,  in  the  "Liber  Pontificale." x  According  to 
this  tradition,  S.  Clement  appointed  seven  notaries, 
men  of  approved  character  and  learning,  to  collect  in 
the  city  of  Rome,  each  in  his  own  region  of  the  city, 
the  acts  of  the  martyrs  who  suffered  in  it.  To  add  to 
the  guarantee  of  good  faith,  Pope  S.  Fabian2  placed 
these  seven  notaries  under  the  control  of  the  seven 
subdeacons,  who  with  the  seven  deacons  were  placed 
over  the  fourteen  cardinal  regions  of  the  city  of  Rome. 
Moreover,  the  Roman  Pontiffs  obtained  the  acts  of 
martyrs  who  had  suffered  in  other  churches.  These 
acts  were  the  proces  verbal  of  their  trial,  with  the 
names  of  the  judges  under  whom  they  were  sentenced, 
and  an  account  of  the  death  endured.  The  acts  of 
S.  Philip  of  Heraclea,  SS.  Hilary  and  Tatian,  and 
SS.  Peter,  Paul,  Andrew,  and  Dionysia,  are  examples 

1  S.  Damasus  was  born  a.d.  304,  and  died  a.d.  384. 
a  He  died  a.d.  250  ;  see  Ep.  i. 

* — —% 


* * 

xx  Introduction 

of  such  acts.  Other  acts  were  those  written  by  eye- 
witnesses, sometimes  friends  of  the  martyrs ;  those  of 
the  martyrs,  SS.  Perpetua,  Felicitas,  and  their  com- 
panions are  instances.  The  first  part  of  these  was 
written  by  S.  Perpetua  herself,  and  reaches  to  the 
eve  of  her  martyrdom ;  then  another  confessor  in  the 
same  prison  took  the  pen  and  added  to  the  eve  of 
his  death,  and  the  whole  was  concluded  by  an  eye- 
witness of  their  passion.  Other  acts  again  were 
written  by  those  who,  if  not  eye-witnesses,  were 
able,  from  being  contemporaries  and  on  the  spot,  to 
gather  reliable  information ;  such  are  the  narratives 
of  the  martyrs  of  Palestine  by  Eusebius,  Bishop  of 
Caesarea.  Unfortunately,  comparatively  few  of  the 
acts  of  the  martyrs  have  come  down  to  us  in  their 
genuine  freshness;  and  the  Church  of  Rome,  which 
set  the  example  in  appointing  notaries  to  record  the 
facts,  has  been  most  careless  about  preserving  these 
records  unadulterated ;  so  that  even  the  acts  of  some 
of  her  own  bishops  and  martyrs,  S.  Alexander,  and 
S.  Marcellinus,  and  S.  Callixtus,  are  romances  devoid 
of  all  stamp  of  truth. 

Tertullian1  says  that  on  the  natal  days,  that  is,  on 
the  days  of  martyrdom  of  the  Saints  who  have  suffered 
for  Christ,  "  We  keep  an  annual  commemoration."  It 
is  easy  to  see  how  this  usage  necessitated  the  drawing 
up  of  lists  in  which  were  inscribed  not  only  the  names 
of  the  martyrs,  and  the  place  of  their  decease,  but  also 
a  few  words  relative  to  their  conflict,  so  that  the  people 
might  associate  their  names  with  their  victories,  and 
the  names  might  not  become,  in  time,  to  them  empty 

1  Born  a.d.  160,  died  A.D.  245. 
* * 


-* 


Introduction  xxi 


sounds.  S.  Cyprian  was  absent  from  Carthage  when 
the  persecution  was  raging  there,  but  he  wrote  to  his 
clergy,  "Note  the  days  of  their  death,  that  we  may 
celebrate  their  commemorations  along  with  the  memo- 
rials of  the  martyrs." 1  S.  Augustine  says,2  "  The 
Christian  people  celebrate  the  memory  of  the  martyrs 
with  religious  solemnity,  both  to  excite  to  imitation, 
and  that  they  may  become  fellows  in  their  merits  and 
be  assisted  by  their  prayers." 

Adrian  I.  quotes  the  13th  Canon  of  the  African 
Church  and  the  47th  of  the  third  Carthaginian  Council, 
in  a  letter  to  Charlemagne,  in  which  he  says,  "The 
Sacred  Canons  approved  of  the  passions  of  the  Holy 
Martyrs  being  read  in  Church  when  their  anniversary 
days  were  being  celebrated." 

The  names  of  the  martyrs  to  be  commemorated 
were  announced  on  the  eve.  By  degrees  other  names 
besides  those  of  martyrs  were  introduced  into  the 
Martyrologies,  as  those  of  faithful  servants  of  God 
whose  lives  were  deserving  of  imitation,  but  who  had 
not  suffered  to  the  death  in  testimony  to  the  truth. 
Thus  we  have  confessors,  or  those  who  endured 
hardships  for  Christ,  doctors,  or  teachers  of  the 
Church,  virgins,  widows,  bishops  and  abbots,  and 
even  penitents. 

The  Martyrologies  may  be  divided  into  two  series, 
the  ancient  and  the  modern.  We  need  only  concern 
ourselves  with  the  Ancient  Martyrologies. 

The  first  to  draw  up  a  tolerably  full  Martyrology 
was  Eusebius  the  historian,  Bishop  of  Caesarea  in 
Palestine,  and  he  did  this  at  the  request  of  the  Emperor 

1  Ep.  xxxvii.  8  Lib.  xx.,  contra  Faustum,  cap.  xxi. 


"* 


xxii  Introduction 


Constantine.  In  this  Martyrology  he  noted  all  the 
martyrs  of  whom  he  had  received  an  authentic  account 
on  the  days  of  their  suffering,  with  the  names  of  the 
judges  who  sentenced  them,  the  places  where  they 
suffered,  and  the  nature  of  their  sufferings.  Eusebius 
wrote  about  A.D.  320,  but  there  were  collections  of 
the  sort  already  extant,  as  we  may  learn  from  the 
words  of  S.  Cyprian  already  quoted,  who  in  his  in- 
structions to  his  clergy  ordered  them  to  compile  what 
was  practically  a  Martyrology  of  the  Carthaginian 
Church. 

We  have  not  got  the  Greek  Martyrology  of  Eusebius, 
but  we  have  the  Latin  version  made  by  S.  Jerome. 
Bede  says  of  this,  "Jerome  was  not  the  author,  but 
the  translator  of  this  book;  Eusebius  is  said  to  have 
been  the  author." 

But  even  this  Latin  version  has  not  come  down  to 
us  in  its  original  form.  There  are  numerous  copies, 
purporting  to  be  the  Martyrology  of  S.  Jerome,  still 
extant,  but  hardly  two  of  them  agree.  The  copies  have 
been  amplified.  The  occasion  of  S.  Jerome  making  his 
translation  was  as  follows.  At  the  Council  of  Milan, 
held  in  390,  the  presiding  Bishop,  Gregory  of  Cordova, 
read  out  daily  on  the  eve,  as  usual,  the  lists  of  martyrs 
whose  anniversary  was  to  be  celebrated  on  the  morrow. 
As  a  good  number  of  those  present  knew  nothing  of 
the  martyrs  thus  commemorated,  they  wrote  by  the 
hands  of  Chromatius,  Bishop  of  Aquileja,  and  Helio- 
dorus,  Bishop  of  Altino,  to  S.  Jerome,  then  at  Beth- 
lehem, to  request  him  to  draw  up  for  their  use  a 
Martyrology  out  of  the  collection  made  by  Eusebius 
of  Caesarea. 


*- 


-* 


Introduction  xxiii 


To  this  S.  Jerome  answered  by  letter,  stating  that 
he  had  got  the  passions  of  the  martyrs  written  by 
Eusebius,  and  that  he  would  gladly  execute  what  was 
asked  of  him.  With  this  letter  he  sent  the  Martyr- 
ology,  with  the  name  of  a  martyr  to  every  day  in  the 
year  except  the  first  of  January.1  Unfortunately,  as 
already  said,  we  have  not  got  a  copy  of  the  Martyrology 
unamended  and  unenlarged. 

The  "  Martyrologium  Romanum  Parvum,"  on  which 
Ado  of  Vienne  pretended  to  have  based  his  Martyr- 
ology, and  which  was  published  by  Rosweydus,  the 
learned  Bollandist,  in  1613,  is  now  entirely  discredited. 
It  was  a  forgery  of  Ado  concocted  before  he  became 
Bishop  of  Vienne — but  of  this  more  presently. 

Cassiodorus,  in  his  "  Institution  of  Divine  Lessons," 
says,  "  Read  constantly  the  passions  of  the  martyrs, 
which  among  other  places  you  will  find  in  the  letter 
of  S.  Jerome  to  Chromatius  and  Heliodorus ;  they 
flourished  over  the  whole  earth,  and  provoked  to 
imitation ;  you  will  be  led  thereby  to  the  heavenly 
kingdom." 

The  next  Martyrology  of  any  importance  to  that 
of  Jerome,  is  one  composed  by  the  Venerable  Bede. 
In  the  catalogue  of  his  own  works  that  he  drew  up, 
he  says :  '*  I  wrote  a  Martyrology  of  the  natal  days  of 
the  holy  martyrs,  in  which  I  took  care  to  set  down 
all  I  could  find,  not  only  on  their  several  days,  but  I 
also  gave  the  sort  of  conflict  they  underwent,  and 
under  what  judge  they  conquered  the  world." 

1  The  copies  of  these  letters  prefixed  to  the  Martyrology  vary  greatly, 
and  their  authenticity  has  been  questioned  ;  but  the  circumstance  is 
probably  true. 

VOL.  I.  C 


"* 


xxiv  Introduction 

If  we  compare  this  Martyrology  with  the  Acts  of 
the  Martyrs,  we  see  at  once  that  Bede  took  his  ac- 
count from  them  verbatim,  merely  condensing  the 
narrative. 

The  Martyrology  of  Bede  was  written  about  720; 
Drepanius  Florus,  a  priest  of  Lyons,  who  died  860, 
added  to  it  considerably,  and  most  of  the  copies  of 
Bede's  Martyrology  that  we  have  are  those  enlarged 
by  Florus. 

The  next  martyrologist  is  Ado,  Bishop  of  Vienne, 
who  has  been  already  mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  "  Martyrologium  Parvum."  Ado  was  born  about 
the  year  800,  and  died  in  875.  In  his  preface,  Ado 
says :  "  For  this  work  of  noting  on  their  proper  days 
the  nativities  of  the  Saints,  which  are  generally  found 
confusedly  in  calendars,  I  have  made  use  of  a  vener- 
able and  very  ancient  Martyrology,  at  Aquileja,  sent  to 
a  certain  holy  bishop  by  the  Roman  Pontiff,  and  this 
was  lent  me,  when  at  Ravenna,  for  a  few  days  by  a 
certain  religious  brother.  This  I  diligently  copied, 
and  thought  to  place  it  at  the  head  of  my  work.  I 
have,  however,  inserted  the  passions  of  the  Saints 
somewhat  longer  in  this  Martyrology,  for  the  use  of 
the  infirm  brothers,  and  those  less  able  to  get  at  books, 
that  they  may  be  able  to  read  out  of  a  little  book  a 
compendium  to  the  praise  of  God  and  the  memory  of 
the  martyrs,  instead  of  overhauling  a  host  of  big 
volumes  with  much  labour."  The  assertion  of  Ado 
was  false.  It  was  a  fraudulent  assertion,  as  has  been 
conclusively  demonstrated  by  Dom  Quentin  in  "  Les 
Martyrologes  historiques,"  1908. 

S.  Gregory  the  Great,  in  his  29th   Epistle,   says: 


* ——IB 

Introduction  xxv 

"  We  have  the  names  of  nearly  all  the  martyrs  with 
their  passions  set  down  on  their  several  days,  collected 
into  one  volume,  and  we  celebrate  the  Mass  daily  in 
their  honour."  On  this  passage  Ado  pretended  to 
base  his  work.  Actually,  it  was  based  on  the  Martyr- 
ology  of  Lyons,  itself  founded  on  that  of  Bede. 

The  next  martyrologist  was  Usuardus,  monk  of 
Saint-Germain-des-Pres,  who  died  in  876.  He  wrote 
his  Martyrology  at  the  request  of  Charles  the  Bald, 
who  was  dissatisfied  with  the  Martyrologies  of  Jerome 
and  of  Bede  because  they  were  too  short  in  their 
narratives,  and  also  because  several  days  in  the 
calendar  were  left  blank.  This  account,  which  Usu- 
ardus gives  in  his  preface,  does  not  tally  with  the 
words  of  the  epistle  attributed  to  S.  Jerome  that 
precedes  his  Martyrology ;  and  leads  to  the  suspi- 
cion that  this  portion  of  the  epistle,  at  least,  is  not 
genuine.  Usuardus  certainly  used  the  Martyrologies 
of  Ado  and  Florus  as  the  basis  of  his  work.  This 
compilation  of  Usuardus  was  so  full,  that  it  displaced 
the  earlier  Martyrologies  in  a  great  many  churches. 
The  best  edition  of  the  Martyrology  of  Usuardus  is 
that  of  Solerius,  Antwerp,  17 14-17 17.  The  modern 
Roman  Martyrology  is  founded  upon  that  of  Usuardus. 

Usuardus  was  followed  by  Wandelbert,  monk  01 
Prum,  who  died  in  870.  Wandelbert  followed  the 
Martyrologies  of  SS.  Jerome  and  Bede,  as  amplified 
by  Florus,  and  wrote  the  notices  of  the  martyrs  in 
hexameter  Latin  verses.  This  monument  of  patience 
is  composed  of  about  360  metrical  pieces,  of  which 
each  contains  the  life  of  the  Saint  commemorated  on 
the  day.     To  these,  which  form  the  bulk  of  the  work, 

*— * 


*- 


xxvi  Introduction 


are  prefixed  others  of  less  importance,  prefaces,  dedi- 
catory epistles  to  Lothair,  preliminary  discourses  on 
the  importance  of  the  Marty rology,  on  the  knowledge 
of  times  and  seasons,  months  and  days,  etc.  Although 
Wandelbert  wrote  for  the  most  part  in  hexameters, 
he  abandoned  them  occasionally  for  lyric  metres,  which 
he  managed  with  less  facility.  D'Achery  published 
this  Martyrology  in  his  "  Spicilegium,"  but  the  edition 
is  a  bad  one. 

There  have  been  many  later  Martyrologies,  but  these 
are  of  far  inferior  importance,  and  need  not  be  here 
enumerated.  In  the  East,  the  Greeks  had  anciently 
their  collections.  That  of  Eusebius  probably  formed 
the  basis  of  later  Menologies.  In  the  Horology  are 
contained  calendars  of  the  Saints  for  every  day  with 
prayers;  this  portion  of  the  Horology  is  called  the 
Menology. 

The  Menology  is  divided  into  months,  and  contains 
the  lives  of  the  Saints,  in  abridgment,  for  each  day, 
or  the  simple  commemoration  of  those  whose  acts 
are  extant.  The  Menology  of  the  Greeks  is,  therefore, 
much  the  same  as  the  Latin  Martyrology,  and  there 
are  almost  as  many  Menologies  as  there  are  Martyr- 
ologies. The  principal  is  that  of  the  Emperor  Basil  II. 
(d.  1025),  published  by  Ughelli  in  his  "Italia  Sacra." 
The  larger  Menologies  are  entitled  "Synaxaria,"  be- 
cause they  were  read  in  the  churches  on  days  of 
assembly.  These  lives  are  very  long,  and  the  Men- 
ology contains  the  substance  in  a  condensed  form. 

The  modern  Roman  Martyrology  was  drawn  up  by 
order  of  Pope  Gregory  XIII.,  who  appointed  for  the 
purpose  eight  commissaries,  amongst  whom  was  Baro- 


*- 


Introduction  xxvii 

nius.  It  leaves  much  to  be  desired,  as  it  bristles  with 
inaccuracies.  A  fresh  edition  was  issued  with  some 
corrections  by  Benedict  XIV.  It  demands  a  careful 
revision.  Many  of  its  inaccuracies  have  been  pointed 
out  in  the  course  of  this  work. 

It  is  impossible  to  dismiss  the  subject  of  Martyr- 
ologies  without  a  word  on  the  "Acta  Sanctorum"  of 
the  Bollandists.  This  magnificent  collection  of  Lives 
of  the  Saints  is  arranged  on  the  principle  of  the 
Synaxarium,  or  Martyrology — that  is  to  say,  the  Saints 
are  not  given  in  their  chronological  order,  but  as  they 
appear  in  the  calendar. 

Heribert  Resweidus,  of  Utrecht,  was  a  learned  Jesuit 
father,  born  in  1563,  who  died  1629.  In  1607  he  pub- 
lished the  "  Fasti  sanctorum  quorum  vitae  manuscriptse 
in  Belgio,"  a  book  containing  the  plan  of  a  vast  work 
on  the  lives  of  all  the  Saints,  which  he  desired  to 
undertake.  In  16 13  he  published  "Notes  on  the  old 
Roman  Martyrology,"  which  he  was  the  first  to  dis- 
cover. In  161 5  he  brought  out  the  "Lives  of  the 
Hermits,"  and  in  1619  another  work  on  the  "Eremites 
of  Palestine  and  Egypt."  In  1626  he  published  the 
"Lives  of  the  Virgin  Saints."  He  died  before  the 
great  work  for  which  he  had  collected,  and  to  which 
he  had  devoted  his  time  and  thoughts,  was  begun. 
But  the  project  was  not  allowed  to  drop.  It  was  taken 
up  by  John  Bollandus,  another  Jesuit ;  with  him  were 
associated  two  other  fathers  of  the  same  order,  Hen- 
schenius  and  Papebrock,  and  in  1643  appeared  the 
January  volumes,  two  in  number.  In  1648  the  three 
volumes  of  the  February  Saints  issued  from  the  press. 
Bollandus  died  in  1665,  and  the  March  volumes,  three 

*- g, 


* ■ — # 

xxviii  Introduction 

in  number,  edited  by  Henschenius  and  Papebrock, 
appeared  in  1668.  As  the  work  proceeded,  material 
came  in  in  abundance,  and  the  work  grew  under  their 
hands.  May  was  represented  by  seven  volumes;  so 
also  June,  July,  and  August.  The  compilation  is  not 
yet  complete.  But  a  large  store  of  material  has  been 
accumulated,  that  serves  for  the  remaining  volumes, 
and  which  is  also  poured  forth  in  the  quarterly  issues 
of  the  "  Annalecta  Bollandiana,"  of  which  thirty-two 
volumes  have  been  issued  up  to  the  end  of  191 3. 
Naturally,  the  earlier  volumes  of  the  "Acta  Sanc- 
torum "  are  very  incomplete,  and  deserve  to  be  en- 
tirely recast  and  to  be  greatly  amplified. 

The  principle  on  which  the  Bollandists  have  worked 
is  an  excellent  one.  They  have  not  themselves  written 
the  lives  of  the  Saints,  but  they  publish  every  scrap 
of  record,  and  all  the  ancient  acts  and  lives  of  the 
Saints  that  are  extant.  The  work  is  a  storehouse  of 
historical  materials.  To  these  materials  the  editors 
prefix  an  introductory  essay  on  the  value  and  genu- 
ineness of  the  material,  and  on  the  chronology  of 
the  Saint's  life.  They  have  done  their  work  con- 
scientiously and  well.  Only  occasionally  have  they 
omitted  acts  or  portions  of  lives  which  they  have 
regarded  as  mythical  or  unedifying.  These  omissions 
are  to  be  regretted,  as  they  would  have  been  in- 
structive. 

Another  valuable  repository  of  the  lives  of  Saints  is 
Mabillon's  "  Collection  of  the  Acts  of  the  Saints  of  the 
Order  of  S.  Benedict,"  in  nine  volumes,  published 
1668-1701.  The  arrangement  in  this  collection  is  by 
centuries.     Theodoric  Ruinart,  in  1689,  published  the 

*— — ■ * 


Introduction  xxix 

Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  but  not  a  complete  series;  he 
selected  only  those  which  he  regarded  as  genuine. 

With  regard  to  England,  there  is  a  Martyrology  of 
Christ  Church,  Canterbury,  written  in  the  thirteenth 
century,  and  now  in  the  British  Museum  (Arundell 
MSS.,  No.  68);  also  a  Martyrology  written  between 
1220  and  1224,  from  the  south-west  of  England  ;  this 
also  is  in  the  British  Museum  (MSS.  Reg.  2,  A.  xiii.). 
A  Saxon  Martyrology,  incomplete,  is  among  the  Har- 
leian  MSS.  (2785)  in  the  same  museum.  It  dates 
from  the  fourteenth  century.  There  is  a  transcript 
among  the  Sloane  MSS.  (4938),  of  a  Martyrology  of 
North  English  origin,  but  this  also  is  incomplete.  There 
are  others,  later,  of  less  value.  The  most  interesting 
is  "The  Martiloge  in  Englysshe,  after  the  use  of  the 
chirche  of  Salisbury,"  printed  by  Wynkyn  de  Worde 
in  1526,  reissued  by  the  "Henry  Bradshaw  Society" 
in  1893.  To  these  Marty rologies  must  be  added  the 
"Legenda"  of  John  of  Tynemouth,  A.D.  1350;  that  of 
Capgrave,  A.D.  1450,  his  "  Nova  Legenda,"  printed  in 
1 5 16,  and  recently  edited  by  Horstmann,  1901 ;  Whit- 
ford's  "Martyrology,"  1526,  reprinted  by  the  Henry 
Bradshaw  Society,  1891  ;  Wilson's  "  Martyrologue," 
1st  edition,  1608,  2nd  edition,  1640;  and  Bishop 
Challoner's  "  Memorial  of  Ancient  British  Piety," 
1 76 1.  Recently  the  Rev.  Richard  Stanton,  Priest  of 
the  Oratory,  London,  has  issued  an  invaluable  "  Martyr- 
ology of  England  and  Wales,"  1887. 

Scottish  Kalendars  have  been  reprinted  and  com- 
mented on,  and  brief  lives  of  the  Saints  given  by  the 
late  Bishop  Forbes  of  Brechin,  in  "  Kalendars  of 
Scottish  Saints,"  Edinburgh,  1872. 

g, — * 


*- 


-* 


XXX 


Introduction 


The  Welsh  and  Cornish  Saints  have  been  taken  in 
hand  by  the  Author  and  the  Rev.  John  Fisher,  B.D., 
and  their  Lives  have  been  published  in  four  volumes 
by  the  Cymmrodorion  Society. 


May  1914. 


S.  BARING-GOULD. 


*- 


-* 


*- 


-* 


CONTENTS 


Adalhardt ....     34 
Adelelm     ....  465 

Adrian 128 

Aelred 176 

Agatho 137 

Agnes 317 

Aidan 471 

Aldegund  .     .     .     .464 

Aldric 96 

Alexander  Acceme- 

tus 228 

SS.  Anastasius  and 

comp 334 

B.  Angela  of  Foligni  .  63 
S.  Anteros  ....  38 
„  Anthony  ....  249 
„   Apollinaris  Synclet.     70 

„   Apollo 372 

„   Arcadius    .     .     .     .162 
SS.  Archelaa  and  others  278 


S.  Artemas  . 
Asclas  .  . 
Athanasius 
Atticus  .  . 
Audifax.  . 
Augurius    . 


B 


S.  Babylus      .     .     . 

Baldwin     .     .     . 

Balthazar   .     .     . 

Barsas  of  Edessa 

Bassian  of  Lodi  . 

Bathild  .... 

Benedict  Biscop 

Bertilia.     .     .     . 

SS.  Blaithmac  and  comp 

S.  Brithwald  .  .  .  . 


37o 
346 
38 
100 
285 
312 


361 
112 
148 
464 
286 
394 
167 
5i 


*- 


-* 


*- 


-* 


XXX11 


Contents 


S.  Cadoc    .... 

„   Cassaria     .     .     . 

„   Canute  Lavard  . 

„   Cedd     .... 

„   Ceolwulf    .     .     . 

„   Charlemagne .     . 

,,   Christiana .     .     . 
Circumcision,  The     . 

S.  Clement  of  Ancyra 

„   Concord     .     .     . 
Conversion  of  S.  Paul 

S.  Cyriacus    .     .     . 

„    Cyril,  Alexandria 

„    Cyrinus      .     .     . 
SS.  Cyrus,    John,    and 
others    .     .     .     . 


D 


S.  Dafrosa 
„  Datius  . 
„  Deicolus 
„  Devota  . 
,,    Domitian 


S.  Egwin 

SS.  Elvan  and  Mydwyn 
Epiphany,  The 

S.  Erminold   . 

„    Eulogius    . 

„    Euthymius 

„   Eutropius  . 


363 

167 

97 

91 

236 

437 

146 

1 

347 

3 

37o 

163 

418 

44 

469 


57 
210 
280 

399 
136 


160 

5 

82 

86 

312 

30S 
163 


F 

Fabian 299 

Fechin 310 

Felix 199 

Fillan 127 

Francis  of  Sales .  .  443 
Frodobert .  .  .  .112 
Fructuosus  .  .  .312 
Fulgentius  ...  10 
Fursey 243 


Gaudentius 
Genoveva  . 
Genulph  . 
Gerlach 
Germanicus 
Gildas  .  . 
Gonsalvo  . 
Gordius 
B.  Gotfried     . 

Gregory  of  Langres 


334 

46 
247 

81 
284 
440 
142 

42 
194 

58 


„   Gudula 115 

H 

S.  Habakkuk.     .     .     .285 

„    Henry 245 

SS.  Hermylus  and  Stra- 

tonicus  ....   179 

S.  Hilary 182 

„  Honoratus  .  .  .  240 
„  Hyacintha  .  .  .  466 
„    Hyginus     ....  149 

I 
S.  Isidore 228 


J 

S.  James  (Tarantaise)  242 

„   James  the  Penitent  433 

„   John  the  Almsgiver  348 

„   John  the  Calybite    .  233 

„    John  Chrysostom    .  400 

,,   John  of  Therouanne  415 

,,   Julian  of  Le  Mans  .  398 

SS.  Julian  and  comp.     .  121 

S.  Justina 133 

SS.  Juventineand  Maxi- 

mus 371 


K 

S.  Kentigern  . 


187 


*" 


■* 


*- 


* 


Contents 


xxxin 


L 

P 

PAGE 

PAGE 

S.  Launomar.    . 

.    287 

S.  Palsemon   .     .     .     .149 

„    Laurence  Justiniani   119 

„   Palladius   .     . 

417 

,,   Leobard     .     . 

.    278 

„   Patiens .     .     . 

100 

„    Lucian  of  Antioch  .     88 

„   Patroclus  .     . 

315 

,,   Lucian  of  Beauvais     99 

„   Paul.     .     .     . 

215 

„   Lupus  of  Chalons   .  413 

„   Paula     .     .     ■ 

384 

SS.  Paul  and  comp. 

277 

S.  Paulinus     .     . 

436 

M 

„    Pega      .     .     . 

118 

S.  Macarius,  Alexandria  28 

„    Peter  Balsam 

39 

„   Macarius,  Egypt 
,,    Macedonius 

.    221 

„   Peter  Nolasco 

474 

■    362 

„   Peter  of  Canterbury 

'    86 

„   Macra  .    . 

•      85 

„   Peter  of  Sebaste 

125 

„    Macrina 

.    2Q.2 

„    Peter's  Chair .     . 

275 

„   Marcella 

•  47° 

„    Pharaildis  . 

60 

„   Marcellus 

.  238 

„   Polycarp    . 

378 

„    Marcian 

•  J34 

„   Poppo    .     . 

375 

„   Marciana 

.  120 

„   Praejectus  . 

375 

„    Mares    . 

•  374 

„    Primus  .     . 

44 

SS.  Maris  and  other 

5    .  285 

„   Prisca    .     . 

276 

S.  Martha .     .     . 

.  285 

„    Priscilla     . 

238 

SS.  Martyrs  at  Lichfi 

eld    28 

„   Martyrs  in  the  T 

he- 

R 

baid  .     .     . 

•    65 

S.  Maurus . 

•  234 

S.  Raymund  ....  357 

,,   Maximus 

•  37i 

„   Rigobert    .     .     .     .     61 

,,    Meinrad 

•  321 

„   Melanius 

•    85 

„    Melas    . 

•  239 

„    Melor    . 

•     44 

S 

„    Mildgytha 
,,    Mochua  or 
„    Mochua  or 
„   Mosentius 

Ci 
Ci 

•on 

ian 

•  273 

an.     20 

.     19 

.  163 

SS.  Sabinian  and  Sabina  439 
SS.  Satyrus  and  others.   163 

S.  Sebastian  ....  300 

N 

„   Serapion    ....  474 
„   Sethrida     .     .     .     .158 

S.  Nicanor     .    . 

•     •  133 

„   Severinus  ....  101 
„    Silvester    ....     36 

O 

„    Simeon  Stylites  .     .     72 

„    Simeon  the  Old  .     .  383 

S.  Odilo     .     .     . 

SS.  Speusippus         and 

B.  Ordorico    .     . 

.  211 

others     ....  246 

S.  Sulpicius  Sevt 

sru 

5 

442 

*• 


-* 


*- 


-* 


XXXIV 


Contents 


PAGE 

S.  Susanna     ....  278 
„   Syncletica  ....     67 

T 

S.  Telemachus    ...  7 

„   Telesphorus   ...  65 

„   Thecla 278 

SS.  Thecla  and  Justina  133 

S.  Theodoric .     .     .     .  414 
„   Theodosius     .     .     .151 

SS.  Theodulus  &  comp.  202 

„   Theognis  &  comp.  .  44 

„   Theoritgitha  .     .     .  397 

SS.  Thyrsus  and  comp.  416 
„   Tigris    and    Eutro- 

pius 163 

S.  Timothy     ....  359 

»   Titus 53 

»    Tyllo 94 

U 
S.  Ulphia 472 


V 

PAGE 

Valentine  ....  90 
Valerius  of  Treves  .  439 
Valerius  (Saragossa)  417 
Veronica  of  Milan  .  196 
Vincent  .  .  .  .331 
Vitalis 156 

W 
B.  Walter  of  Bierbeeke  341 
S.  William  (Bourges)  .  139 

„   Wulsin 118 

„   Wulstan     ....  290 

X 

SS.  Xenophon  and  Mary  389 
„   XXXVIII     Monks, 

in  Ionia.     .     .     .175 


SS.  Zosimus  and  Atha- 

nasius    ....     38 


*- 


•* 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


-* 


Silver-gilt  Monstrance    . 

In  the  Treasury  of  the  Cathedral,  Aix-la-Chapelle. 
INCIPIT   PROLOGUS 


The  Circumcision  of  Christ     . 

From  the  grand  Vienna  edition  of  the 
"  Missale  Romanum." 

Oblation  of  an  Infant  to  a  Religious 
Community 


S.  Genoveva    .... 

From  "  Caractiristiques  des  Saints  dans  T Art 
populaire  tnume'rees  et  expliquees,"  par  le 
P.  Ch.  Cahier,  de  la  Compagnie  de  Jesus, 
^to.     Paris,  1867. 

S.  Simeon  Stylites 

From  Hone's  "  Everyday  Book." 

The  Epiphany 

From  the  Vienna  Missal. 

Worshippers  at  the  Shrine  of  a  Saint 
Adoration  of  the  Magi 

S.  Cedd 

Seal  of  the  City  of  Brussels 
S.  Genoveva    .... 


S.  Egwin,  Bp.  of  Worcester 

After  Cahier. 

S.  Benedict  Biscop 


Frontispiece 


to  face  p.  v 


.      on  p.  37 
to  face  p.  48 


„       72 

•         „       82 

071  p.  87 

to  face  p.  87 

„       9i 

on  p.  98 

„     132 
to  face  p.  160 


168 


-* 


* _* 

xxxvi  List  of  Illustrations 

S.  Aelred,  Ab.  of  Rievaux         .        .        .      to  face  p.  176 
From  a  Design  by  A.  Welby  Pugin. 

S.  Odilo onp.  178 

S.  Hilary  Baptizing  S.  Martin  of  Tours      to  face  p.  184 

From  a  Window,  dated  1528,  in  the  Church  of 
S.  Florentin,  Yonne. 

The  Three  Children  in  the  Fiery  Fur- 
nace   „    184 

From  the  Catacombs. 

Seal  of  Robert  Wishart,  Bp.  of  Glas- 
gow, 1272-1316 onp.  198 

Hermit  Saints— S.  Anthony       .       .       .       .        ,,214 
Hermit  Saint to  face  p.  216 

From  a  Drawing  by  A.  Welby  Pugin. 

S.  Ceolwulf(?) onp.  237 

S.  Honor£ to  face  p.  240 

After  Cahier. 

S.  Anthony  tortured  by  Demons  „    252 

From  the  Design  by  Martin  Schonguer. 
The  Chair  of  S.  Peter  in  the  Vatican         .    onp.  274 
S.  Peter's  Commission,  "  Feed  my  Flock"       to  face  p.  274 

The  Apostolic  Succession „    274 

Baptism  and  Confirmation        .       .       .       .onp.  283 

From  a  Painting  in  the  Catacombs. 

S.  Wulstan,  Bp.  of  Worcester         .        .      to  face  p.  296 

From  a  Design  by  A.  Welby  Pugi>J. 

SS.  Fabian  and  Sebastian  .                               .    on  p.  298 
*— * 


-* 


List  of  Illustrations  xxxvii 

S.  Sebastian to  face  p.  304 

From  a  Drawing  by  LUCAS  ScHRAUDOLF. 

The  Peacock  as  a  Christian  Emblem    .       .    onp.$\\ 
S.Agnes toface  p.  316 

From  the  Vienna  Missal. 

The  Virgin  Appearing  to  S.  Ildephonsus        .       „    356 

After  a  Painting  by  Murillo  in  the  Museum 
at  Madrid. 

S.  Timothy „    360 

From  a  Window  of  the  Eleventh  Century  at  Neuweiler. 

S.  Paul on  p.  369 

After  a  Bronze  in  Christian  Museum  in  the  Vatican. 

The  Conversion  of  S.  Paul      .        .        .      to  face  p.  370 

After  the  Cartoon  by  RAPHAEL. 

Alpha  and  Omega  ;  the  First  and  the 

Last 0np.  377 

SS.  Paula,  Prisca,  and  Paul     .        .        .      to  face  p.  384 

S.  Bathild ,,394 

S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria „    424 

After  the  Picture  by  Dominichino  (or  Dominiquin) 
in  the  Church  of  Grotta  Ferrata,  Rome. 

S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria „    432 

After  Cahier. 

Charlemagne  and  S.  Louis       .       .       .       .       ,,436 

After  a  Picture  in  the  Palais  de  Justice,  Paris. 

Baptism  of  Vanquished  Saxons  by  Com- 
mand of  Charlemagne         .        .        .        .    on  p.  438 

From  a  Miniature  of  the  15th  Century  in  the 
Burgundy  Library  at  Brussels. 


-* 


*- 


-* 


xxxviii  List  of  Illustrations 

S.  Francis  of  Sales to  face  p.  448 

S.  Aldegund ,,460 

After  Cahier. 

Virgin  in  Crescent     .       .       .       .       .       .    on  p.  464 

After  Albert  DOrer. 

S.  Marcella to  face  p.  466 

After  an  Engraving  of  the  Seventeenth  Century. 

S.   ULPHIA „     468 

From  Cahier. 

S.  Peter  Nolasco „    470 

From  Cahier. 


*- 


"* 


THE    CIRCUMCISION    OK    CHRIST. 
From  the  grand  Vienna  K.dition  of  tin?  "  Missale  Romanui 


Jan.,  p.   r.J 


[Jan.  ,. 


*■ * 


Lives  of  the  Saints 

January  1. 
5Tfje  jfeast  of  tfje  ffitrcumrision  of  our  3Loro  3estts  (Efjrist. 

S.  Gaspar,  one  of  the  Magi. 

S.  Concord,  P.  M.,  at  Spoleto,  in  Umbria,  circ.  A.D.  175. 

SS.  Elvan,  B.,  and  Mvdwyn,  in  England,  circ.  A.D.  198. 

S.  Martina,  V.  M.,  at  Rome,  a.d.  235. 

S.  Paracodius,  B.  of  Vienne,  a.d.  239. 

S.  Severus,  M.,  at  Ravenna,  A.D.  304. 

S.  Telemachus,  M.,  at  Rome,  a.d.  404. 

S.  Fulgentius,  B.  C.  ofRnsfe,  in  N.  Africa,  a.d.  533. 

S.  Mochua,  or  Cuan,  Ab.  in  Ireland,  6th  cent. 

S.  Mochua,  or  Cronan,  Ab.  of  Balla,  in  Ireland,  7th  cent. 

S.  Eugenditj,  Ab.  ofCondate,  in  the  Jura,  a.d.  581. 

S.  Fanchea,  or  Fain,  V.  Abss.,  of  Rosairthir,  in  Ireland,  6th  cent. 

S.  Clare,  Ab.  of  Vienne,  circ.  A.D.  660. 

S.  William,  Ab.  S.  Benignus,  at  Dijon,  a.d.  1031. 

S.  Odilo,  Ab.  Cluny,  a.d.  1049. 

THE  CIRCUMCISION  OF  OUR  LORD. 

J  HIS  festival  is  celebrated  by  the  Church  in  order 

to  commemorate  the  obedience  of  our  Lord  in 

fulfilling  all  righteousness,  which  is  one  branch 

of  the   meritorious   cause  of  our  redemption, 

and  by  that  means  abrogating  the  severe  injunctions  of  the 

Mosaic  law,  and  placing  us  under  the  grace  of  the  Gospel. 

God  gave  to  Abraham  the  command  to  circumcise  all 
male  children  on  the  eighth  day  after  birth,  and  this  rite  was 
to  be  the  seal  of  covenant  with  Him,  a  token  that,  through 
shedding  of  the  blood  of  One  to  come,  remission  of  the 
original  sin  inherited  from  Adam  could  alone  be  obtained 
vol.  1.  1 

* * 


2  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i. 

It  was  also  to  point  out  that  the  Jews  were  cut  off,  and 
separate,  from  the  other  nations.  By  circumcision,  a  Jew 
belonged  to  the  covenant,  was  consecrated  to  the  service 
of  God,  and  undertook  to  believe  the  truths  revealed  by 
Him  to  His  elect  people,  and  to  hold  the  commandments  to 
which  He  required  obedience.  Thus,  this  outward  sign 
admitted  him  to  true  worship  of  God,  true  knowledge  of 
God,  and  true  obedience  to  God's  moral  law.  Circumcision 
looked  forward  to  Christ,  who,  by  His  blood,  remits  sin. 
Consequently,  as  a  rite  pointing  to  Him  who  was  to  come, 
it  is  abolished,  and  its  place  is  taken  by  baptism,  which  also 
is  a  sign  of  covenant  with  God,  admitting  to  true  worship, 
true  knowledge,  and  true  obedience.  But  baptism  is  more 
than  a  covenant,  and  therefore  more  than  was  circumcision. 
It  is  a  Sacrament ;  that  is,  a  channel  of  grace.  By  baptism, 
supernatural  power,  or  grace,  is  given  to  the  child,  whereby 
it  obtains  that  which  by  nature  it  could  not  have.  Cir- 
cumcision admitted  to  covenant,  but  conferred  no  grace. 
Baptism  admits  to  covenant,  and  confers  grace.  By  circum- 
cision, a  child  was  made  a  member  of  God's  own  peculiar 
people.  By  baptism,  the  same  is  done ;  but  God's  own 
people  is  now  not  one  nation,  but  the  whole  Catholic  Church. 
Christ  underwent  circumcision,  not  because  He  had  inherited 
the  sin  of  Adam,  but  because  He  came  to  fulfil  all  righteous- 
ness, to  accomplish  the  law,  and  for  the  letter  to  give  the 
spirit. 

It  was,  probably,  the  extravagances  committed  among  the 
heathen  at  the  kalends  of  January,  upon  which  this  day  fell, 
that  hindered  the  Church  for  some  ages  from  proposing  it  as 
an  universal  set  festival.  The  writings  of  the  Fathers  are  full 
of  invectives  against  the  idolatrous  profanations  of  this  day, 
which  concluded  the  riotous  feasts  in  honour  of  Saturn,  and 
was  dedicated  to  Janus  and  Strena,  or  Strenua,  a  goddess 
supposed  to  preside  over  those  presents  which  were  sent  to, 

* 


*- 


-* 


January  I.]  S.     CoHCOrd.  3 

and  received  from,  one  another  on  the  first  day  of  the  year, 
and  which  were  called  after  her,  strenae ;  a  name  which  is 
still  preserved  in  the  etrennes,  or  gifts,  which  it  is  customary 
in  France  to  make  on  New  Year's  Day. 

But,  when  the  danger  of  the  heathen  abuses  was  removed, 
by  the  establishment  of  Christianity  in  the  Roman  empire, 
this  festival  began  to  be  observed;  and  the  mystery  of  our 
Blessed  Lord's  Circumcision  is  explained  in  several  ancient 
homilies  of  the  fifth  century.  It  was,  however,  spoken  of  in 
earlier  times  as  the  Octave  of  the  Nativity,  and  the  earliest 
mention  of  it  as  the  Circumcision  is  towards  the  end  of  the 
eleventh  century,  shortly  before  the  time  of  S.  Bernard,  who 
also  has  a  sermon  upon  it.  In  the  Ambrosian  Missal,  used 
at  Milan,  the  services  of  the  day  contain  special  cautions 
against  idolatry.  In  a  Gallican  Lectionary,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  as  old  as  the  seventh  century,  are  special  lessons 
"  In  Circumcisione  Domini."  Ivo,  of  Chartres,  in  1090, 
speaks  of  the  observance  of  this  day  in  the  French  Church. 
The  Greek  Church  also  has  a  special  commemoration  of  the 
Circumcision. 


S.  CONCORD,  P.  M. 
(about  175.) 

[S.  Concord  is  mentioned  in  all  the  Latin  Martyrologies.  His  festival  is 
celebrated  at  Bispal,  in  the  diocese  of  Gerona,  in  Spain,  where  his  body 
is  said  to  be  preserved,  on  the  2nd  Jan.  His  translation  is  commemo- 
rated on  the  4th  July.  The  following  is  an  abridgment  of  his  genuine 
Acts.  J 

In  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Marcus  Antoninus,  there 
raged  a  violent  persecution  in  the  city  of  Rome.  At  that 
time  there  dwelt  in  Rome  a  sub-deacon,  named  Concordius, 
whose  father  was  priest  of  S.  Pastor's,  Cordianus  by  name. 
Concord  was  brought  up  by  his  father  in  the  fear  of  God,  and 


*- 


-* 


* * 

4  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rja»"«7 1. 

in  the  study  of  Holy  Scripture,  and  he  was  consecrated  sub- 
deacon  by  S.  Pius,  Bishop  of  Rome.  Concord  and  his  father 
fasted  and  prayed,  and  served  the  Lord  instantly  in  the  per- 
son of  His  poor.  When  the  persecution  waxed  sore,  said 
Concord  to  his  father,  "  My  lord,  send  me  away,  I  pray  thee^ 
to  S.  Eutyches,  that  I  may  dwell  with  him  a  few  days,  until 
this  tyranny  be  overpast."  His  father  answered,  "  My  son, 
it  is  better  to  stay  here  that  we  may  be  crowned."  But 
Concord  said,  "  Let  me  go,  that  I  may  be  crowned  where 
Christ  shall  bid  me  be  crowned."  Then  his  father  sent  him 
away,  and  Eutyches  received  him  with  great  joy.  With  him 
Concord  dwelt  for  a  season,  fervent  in  prayer.  And  many 
sick  came  to  them,  and  were  healed  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ 

Then,  hearing  the  fame  of  them,  Torquatus,  governor  of 
Umbria,  residing  at  Spoleto,  sent  and  had  Concord  brought 
before  him.  To  him  he  said,  "  What  is  thy  name  ?"  He 
answered,  "I  am  a  Christian."  Then,  said  the  Governor, 
"  I  asked  concerning  thee,  and  not  about  thy  Christ."  S. 
Concord  replied,  "  I  have  said  that  I  am  a  Christian,  and 
Christ  I  confess."  The  Governor  ordered  :  "  Sacrifice  to 
the  immortal  gods,  and  I  will  be  to  thee  a  father,  and  will 
obtain  for  thee  favour  at  the  hands  of  the  Emperor,  and  he 
will  exalt  thee  to  be  priest  of  the  gods."  S.  Concord  said, 
"  Harken  unto  me,  and  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  escape  eternal  misery."  Then  the  governor  ordered 
him  to  be  beaten  with  clubs,  and  to  be  cast  into  prison. 

Then,  at  night,  there  came  to  him  the  blessed  Eutyches, 
with  S.  Anthymius,  the  bishop  ;  for  Anthymius  was  a  friend 
of  the  governor ;  and  he  obtained  permission  of  Torquatus 
to  take  Concord  home  with  him  for  a  few  days.  And 
during  these  days  he  ordained  him  priest,  and  they  watched 
together  in  prayer. 

And  after  a  time,  the  governor  sent   and  brought  him 

* — gi 


-* 


January  i.]        .SVS*.  Elvan  and  Mydwyn.  5 

before  him  once  more  and  said  to  him,  "  What  hast  thou 
decided  on  for  thy  salvation?"  Then  Concord  said, 
"  Christ  is  my  salvation,  to  whom  daily  I  offer  the  sacrifice 
of  praise."  Then  he  was  condemned  to  be  hung  upon  the 
little  horse ;  and,  with  a  glad  countenance,  he  cried,  "  Glory 
be  to  Thee,  Lord  Jesus  Christ !" 

After  this  torment  he  was  cast  into  prison,  with  irons  on 
his  hands  and  neck.  And  blessed  Concord  began  to  sing 
praise  to  God  in  his  dungeon,  and  he  said,  "  Glory  be  to 
God  on  high,  and  in  earth  peace  to  men  of  good  will." 
Then,  that  same  night,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  him, 
and  said,  "  Fear  not  to  play  the  man,  I  shall  be  with  thee." 
And  when  three  days  had  passed,  the  governor  sent  two 
of  his  officers,  at  night,  to  him  with  a  small  image  of  Jupiter. 
And  they  said,  "  Hear  what  the  governor  has  ordered ; 
sacrifice  to  Jupiter  or  lose  thy  head."  Then  the  blessed 
Concord  spat  in  the  face  of  the  idol,  and  said,  "  Glory  be 
to  Thee,  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Then  one  of  the  officers 
smote  off  his  head  in  the  prison.  Afterwards,  two  clerks  and 
certain  religious  men  carried  away  his  body,  and  buried  it  not 
fax  from  the  city  of  Spoleto,   where  many  waters  flow  forth. 


SS.  ELVAN  AND  MYDWYN. 
(about  198.) 

[Mentioned  in  English  Martyrologies,  and  by  Ferrarius  in  his  General 
Catalogue  of  the  Saints.  The  evidence  for  these  Saints  is  purely  tradi- 
tional ;  the  first  written  record  of  them  was  by  Gildas,  A.D.  560,  but  his 
account  is  lost.     It  is  referred  to  by  Matthew  of  Westminster.] 

Saint  Elvan  of  Avalon,  or  Glastonbury,  was  brought  up 
in  that  school  erroneously  said  to  have  been  founded  by 
S.  Joseph  of  Arimathea.  He  vehemently  preached  the  truth 
before  Lucius,  a  British  king,  and  was  mightily  assisted  by 


* 


* — * 

6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i. 

S.  Mydwyn  of  Wales  (Meduinus),  a  man  of  great  learning. 
Lucius  despatched  Elvan  and  Mydwyn  to  Rome,  on  an 
embassy  to  Pope  Eleutherius,  in  179,  who  consecrated  Elvan 
bishop,  and  appointed  Mydwyn  teacher.  He  gave  them,  as 
companions,  two  Roman  clerks,  Faganus  and  Deruvianus ;  or, 
according  to  some,  Fugatius  and  Damianus.  They  returned 
with  these  to  King  Lucius,  who  was  obedient  to  the  word  of 
God,  and  received  baptism  along  with  many  of  his  princes 
and  nobles.  Elvan  became  the  second  archbishop  of 
London.  He  and  Mydwyn  were  buried  at  Avalon.  S. 
Patrick  is  said  to  have  found  there  an  ancient  account  of  the 
acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  of  Fugatius  and  Damianus,  written 
by  the  hand  of  S.  Mydwyn.  Matthew  of  Westminster 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  conversion  of  Lucius, 
under  the  year  185  : — "About  the  same  time,  Lucius,  king 
of  the  Britons,  directed  letters  to  Eleutherius,  entreating  him 
that  he  would  make  him  a  Christian.  And  the  blessed 
pontiff,  having  ascertained  the  devotion  of  the  king,  sent  to 
him  some  religious  teachers ;  namely,  Faganus  and  Deruvi- 
anus, to  convert  the  king  to  Christ,  and  wash  him  in  the 
holy  font.  And  when  that  had  been  done,  then  the  dif- 
ferent nations  ran  to  baptism,  following  the  example  of  the 
king,  so  that  in  a  short  time  there  were  no  infidels  found  in 
the  island." 

There  is  a  considerable  amount  of  exaggeration  in  this 
account  of  Matthew  of  Westminster,  which  must  not  be 
passed  over.  Lucius  is  known  in  the  Welsh  triads  by  the 
name  of  Lleurwg,  or  Lleufer  Mawr,  which  means  "  The  great 
Luminary,"  and  this  has  been  Latinized  into  Lucius,  from 
Lux,  light.  He  was  king  of  a  portion  of  South  Wales 
only.  The  Welsh  authorities  make  no  mention  of  the 
alleged  mission  to  Rome,  though,  that  such  a  mission  should 
have  been  sent,  is  extremely  probable.  Some  accounts  say 
that  Medwy  and  Elfan  were  Britons,  and  that  Dyfan  and 

* -4 


January  i.]  S.    Telemachus.  7 

Ffagan  (Deruvianus  and  Faganus)  were  Roman  priests.  But 
both  these  names  are  British,  consequently  we  may  conjecture 
that  they  were  of  British  origin,  but  resided  then  at  Rome. 

Four  churches  near  Llandaf  bore  the  names  of  Lleurwg 
(Lucius),  Dyfan,  Ffagan,  and  Medwy,  which  confirms  the 
belief  in  the  existence  of  these  Saints,  and  indicates  the  scene 
of  their  labours.  Matthew  of  Westminster  adds : — "  A.D.  185. 
The  blessed  priests,  Faganus  and  Deruvianus,  returned  to 
Rome,  and  easily  prevailed  on  the  most  blessed  Pope  that 
all  that  they  had  done  should  be  confirmed.  And  when  it 
had  been,  then  the  before-mentioned  teachers  returned  to 
Britain,  with  a  great  many  more,  by  whose  teaching  the 
nation  of  the  Britons  was  soon  founded  in  the  faith  of  Christ, 
and  became  eminent  as  a  Christian  people.  And  their 
names  and  actions  are  found  in  the  book  that  Gildas  the  his- 
torian wrote,  concerning  the  victory  of  Aurelius  Ambrosius." 

Geoffrey,  of  Monmouth,  who,  unsupported,  is  thoroughly 
untrustworthy,  mentions  the  same  circumstance,  on  the 
authority  of  the  treatise  of  Gildas,  now  lost.  The  embassy 
to  Rome  shall  be  spoken  of  at  length,  under  the  title  of 
S.  Lucius,  December  nth.  See  also  Nennius,  §  22  •  Bede's 
Eccles.  Hist.  i.  4 ;  and  the  Liber  Landavensis,  p.  65. 


S.  TELEMACHUS,  H.  M. 

(about  404.) 

The  following  account  of  the  martrydom  of  S.  Tele- 
machus  is  given  by  Theodoret,  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History, 
book  v.,  chap.  26  : — "Honorius,  who  had  received  the  empire 
of  Europe,  abolished  the  ancient  exhibitions  of  gladiators 
in  Rome  on  the  following  occasion : — A  certain  man, 
named  Telemachus,  who  had  embraced  a  monastic  life, 
came  from  the  East  to  Rome  at  a  time  when  these  cruel 

* 


8  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u*n«anr  u 

spectacles  were  being  exhibited.  After  gazing  upon  the 
combat  from  the  amphitheatre,  he  descended  into  the  arena, 
and  tried  to  separate  the  gladiators.  The  bloodthirsty  spec- 
tators, possessed  by  the  devil,  who  delights  in  the  shedding 
of  blood,  were  irritated  at  the  interruption  of  their  savage 
sports,  and  stoned  him  who  had  occasioned  the  cessation. 
On  being  apprised  of  this  circumstance,  the  admirable 
Emperor  numbered  him  with  the  victorious  martyrs,  and 
abolished  these  iniquitous  spectacles." 

For  centuries  the  wholesale  murders  of  the  gladiatorial 
shows  had  lasted  through  the  Roman  empire.  Human 
beings,  in  the  prime  of  youth  and  health,  captives  or  slaves, 
condemned  malefactors,  and  even  free-born  men,  who  hired 
themselves  out  to  death,  had  been  trained  to  destroy  each 
other  in  the  amphitheatre  for  the  amusement,  not  merely  of 
the  Roman  mob,  but  of  the  Roman  ladies.  Thousands, 
sometimes  in  a  single  day,  had  been 

'*  Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holiday." 

The  training  of  gladiators  had  become  a  science.  By  their 
weapons,  and  their  armour,  and  their  modes  of  fighting,  they 
had  been  distinguished  into  regular  classes,  of  which  the 
antiquaries  count  up  full  eighteen  :  Andabatse,  who  wore  hel- 
mets, without  any  opening  for  the  eyes,  so  that  they  were 
obliged  to  fight  blindfold,  and  thus  excited  the  mirth  of  the 
spectators ;  Hoplomachi,  who  fought  in  a  complete  suit  of 
armour ;  Mirmillones,  who  had  the  image  of  a  fish  upon 
their  helmets,  and  fought  in  armour,  with  a  short  sword, 
matched  usually  against  the  Retiarii,  who  fought  without 
armour,  and  whose  weapons  were  a  casting-net  and  a 
trident  These,  and  other  species  of  fighters,  were  drilled 
and  fed  in  "  families "  by  lanisUe,  or  regular  trainers,  who 
let  them  out  to  persons  wishing  to  exhibit  a  show.  Women, 
even  high-born  ladies,  had  been  seized  in  former  times  with 

* -* 


January  »J  vS".   Telemachus. 


the  madness  of  fighting,  and,  as  shameless  as  cruel,  had  gone 
down  into  the  arena,  to  delight  with  their  own  wounds  and 
their  own  gore,  the  eyes  of  the  Roman  people. 

And  these  things  were  done,  and  done  too  often  under 
the  auspices  of  the  gods,  and  at  their  most  sacred  festivals. 
So  deliberate  and  organized  a  system  of  wholesale  butchery 
has  never  perhaps  existed  on  this  earth  before  or  since,  not 
even  in  the  worship  of  those  Mexican  gods,  whose  idols 
Cortez  and  his  soldiers  found  fed  with  human  hearts,  and 
the  walls  of  their  temples  crusted  with  human  gore.     Gradu- 
ally the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  had  been  triumphing  over  this 
abomination.     Ever  since   the  time  of  Tertullian,   in   the 
second  century,  Christian  preachers  and  writers  had  lifted 
up  their  voice  in  the  name  of  humanity.     Towards  the  end 
of  the  third  century,  the  Emperors  themselves  had  so  far 
yielded  to  the  voice  of  reason,  as  to  forbid,  by  edicts,  the 
gladiatorial  fights.     But  the  public  opinion  of  the  mob,  in 
most  of  the  great  cities,  had  been  too  strong  both  for  Saints 
and  for  Emperors.     S.  Augustine  himself  tells  us  of  the  hor- 
rible joy  which  he,  in  his  youth,  had  seen  come  over  the 
vast  ring  of  flushed  faces  at  these  horrid  sights.     The  weak 
Emperor  Honorius  bethought  himself  of  celebrating  once 
more  the  heathen  festival  of  the  Secular  Games,  and  form- 
ally to  allow  therein  an  exhibition  of  gladiators.     But,  in  the 
midst  of  that  show,  sprang  down  into  the  arena  of  the  Colos- 
seum of  Rome,  this  monk  Telemachus,  some  said  from  Nitria, 
some  from  Phrygia,  and  with  his  own  hands  parted  the  com- 
batants, in  the  name  of  Christ  and  God.     The  mob,  baulked 
for  a  moment  of  their  pleasure,  sprang  on  him,  and  stoned 
him  to  death.     But  the  crime  was  followed  by  a  sudden  re- 
vulsion of  feeling.     By  an  edict  of  the  Emperor,  the  gladia- 
torial sports  were  forbidden  for  ever ;  and  the  Colosseum, 
thenceforth  useless,  crumbled  slowly  away   into  that  vast 
ruin  which  remains  unto  this  day,  purified,  as  men  well  said, 

* * 


*- 


-* 


IO  LlVeS    Of  the    SatUtS.  [January  i. 

from  the  blood  of  tens  of  thousands,  by  the  blood  of  this 
true  and  noble  martyr.1 


S.  FULGENTIUS,  B.  C. 

(a-d.  533-) 
[Roman  Martyrology  and  nearly  all  the  Latin   Martyrologies.     His 
life  was  written  by  one  of  his  disciples,  and  addressed  to  his  successor, 
Fclicianus.     Many  of  his  writings  are  extant.] 

Fulgentius  belonged  to  an  honourable  senatorial  family 
of  Carthage,  which  had,  however,  lost  its  position  with  the 
invasion  of  the  Vandals  into  Northern  Africa.  His  father, 
Claudius,  who  had  been  unjustly  deprived  of  his  house  in 
Carthage,  to  give  it  to  the  Arian  priest,  retired  to  an  estate 
belonging  to  him  at  Telepte,  a  city  of  the  province  of  Byza- 
cene.  And  here,  about  thirty  years  after  the  barbarians  had 
dismembered  Africa  from  the  Roman  empire,  in  the  year  468, 
was  born  Fulgentius.  Shortly  after  this  his  father  died,  and 
the  education  of  the  child  devolved  wholly  on  his  mother, 
Mariana.  It  has  been  often  observed  that  great  men  have 
had  great  mothers.  Mariana  was  a  woman  of  singular  intelli- 
gence and  piety.  She  carefully  taught  her  son  to  speak  Greek 
with  ease  and  good  accent,  and  made  him  learn  by  heart 
Homer,  Menander,  and  other  famous  poets  of  antiquity.  At 
the  same  time,  she  did  not  neglect  his  religious  education,  and 
the  youth  grew  up  obedient  and  modest.  She  early  com- 
mitted to  him  the  government  of  the  house,  and  servants, 
and  estate  ;  and  his  prudence  in  these  matters  made  his 
reputation  early,  and  he  was  appointed  procurator  of  the 
province. 

But  it  was  not  long  before  he  grew  weary  of  the  world  ; 
and  the  love  of  God  drew  him  on  into  other  paths.     He 

»  The  Hermits,  by  Rev.  C.  Kingsley,  p.  153,  154. 


*- 


-* 


-* 


January  i.]  ,£     FulgetltillS.  I  I 

found  great  delight  in  religious  reading,  and  gave  more  time 
to  prayer.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  frequenting  monasteries, 
and  he  much  wondered  to  see  in  the  monks  no  signs  of 
weariness,  though  they  were  deprived  of  all  the  relaxations 
and  pleasures  which  the  world  provides.  Then,  under  the 
excuse  that  his  labours  of  office  required  that  he  should  take 
occasional  repose,  he  retired  at  intervals  from  business,  and 
devoted  himself  to  prayer  and  meditation,  and  reduced  the 
abundance  of  food  with  which  he  was  served.  At  length, 
moved  by  a  sermon  of  S.  Augustine  on  the  thirty-sixth 
Psalm,  he  resolved  on  embracing  the  religious  life. 

There  was  at  that  time  a  certain  bishop,  Faustus  by  name, 
who  had  been  driven,  together  with  other  orthodox  bishops, 
from  their  sees,  by  Huneric,  the  Arian  king.  Faustus  had 
erected  a  monastery  in  Byzacene.  To  him  Fulgentius  be- 
took himself,  and  asked  to  be  admitted  into  the  monastery. 
But  the  Bishop  repelled  him  saying,  "Why,  my  son,  dost 
thou  seek  to  deceive  the  servants  of  God  ?  Then  wilt  thou 
be  a  monk  when  thou  hast  learned  to  despise  luxurious  food 
and  sumptuous  array.  Live  as  a  layman  less  delicately,  and 
then  I  shall  believe  in  thy  vocation."  But  the  young  man 
caught  the  hand  of  him  who  urged  him  to  depart,  and, 
kissing  it  said,  "  He  who  gave  the  desire  is  mighty  to  en- 
able me  to  fulfil  it.  Suffer  me  to  tread  in  thy  footsteps,  my 
father !"  Then,  with  much  hesitation,  Faustus  suffered  the 
youth  to  remain,  saying,  "  Perhaps  my  fears  are  unfounded. 
Thou  must  be  proved  some  days." 

The  news  that  Fulgentius  had  become  a  monk  spread  far 
and  wide.  His  mother,  in  transports  of  grief,  ran  to  the 
monastery,  crying  out,  "  Faustus  !  restore  to  me  my  son, 
and  to  the  people  their  governor.  The  Church  always  pro- 
tects widows ;  why  then  dost  thou  rob  me,  a  desolate  widow, 
of  my  child?"  Faustus  in  vain  endeavoured  to  calm  her. 
She  desired  to  see  her  son,  but  he  refused  to  give  permis- 


*- 


*■ 


1 2  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u»™»ry  >• 


sion.  Fulgentius,  from  within,  could  hear  his  mother's  cries. 
This  was  to  him  a  severe  temptation,  for  he  loved  her 
dearly. 

Shortly  after,  he  made  over  his  estate  to  his  mother,  to  be 
discretionally  disposed  of,  by  her,  in  favour  of  his  brother 
Claudius,  when  he  should  arrive  at  a  proper  age.  He 
practised  severe  mortification  of  his  appetite,  totally  abstain- 
ing from  oil  and  everything  savoury,  and  his  fasting  produced 
a  severe  illness,  from  which,  however,  he  recovered,  and  his 
constitution  adapted  itself  to  his  life  of  abstinence. 

Persecution  again  breaking  out,  Faustus  was  obliged  to 
leave  his  monastery,  and  Fulgentius,  at  his  advice,  took 
refuge  in  another,  which  was  governed  by  the  Abbot  Felix, 
who  had  been  his  friend  in  the  world,  and  who  became  now 
his  brother  in  religion.  Felix  rejoiced  to  see  his  friend  once 
more,  and  he  insisted  on  exalting  him  to  be  abbot  along 
with  himself.  Fulgentius  long  refused,  but  in  vain  ;  and 
the  monks  were  ruled  by  these  two  abbots  living  in  holy 
charity,  Felix  attending  to  the  discipline  and  the  bodily 
necessities  of  the  brethren,  Fulgentius  instructing  them  in 
the  divine  love.  Thus  they  divided  the  authority  between 
them  for  six  years,  and  no  contradictions  took  place  between 
them  ;  each  being  always  ready  to  comply  with  the  will  of 
the  other. 

In  the  year  499,  the  country  being  ravaged  by  the 
Numidians,  the  two  abbots  were  obliged  to  fly  to  Sicca 
Veneria,  a  city  of  the  proconsular  province  of  Africa.  Here 
they  were  seized  by  orders  of  an  Arian  priest,  and  com- 
manded to  be  scourged.  Felix,  seeing  the  executioners 
seize  first  on  Fulgentius,  exclaimed,  "  Spare  my  brother, 
who  is  not  sufficiently  strong  to  endure  your  blows,  lest  he 
die  under  them,  and  strike  me  instead."  Felix  having 
been  scourged,  Fulgentius  was  next  beaten.  His  pupil 
says,    "  Blessed  Fulgentius,   a  man  of  delicate  body,   and 


-* 


* ■ « 

January  i.]  S.    FulgetlUuS.  1 3 

of  noble  birth,  was  scarce  able  to  endure  the  pain  of 
the  repeated  blows,  and,  as  he  afterwards  told  us,  hoping 
to  soothe  the  violence  of  the  priest,  or  distract  it  awhile, 
that  he  might  recover  himself  a  little,  he  cried  out,  '  I  will 
say  something  if  I  am  permitted.'"  The  priest  ordered 
the  blows  to  cease,  expecting  to  hear  a  recantation.  But 
Fulgentius,  with  much  eloquence,  began  a  narration  of  his 
travels  ;  and  after  the  priest  had  listened  awhile,  finding  this 
was  all  he  was  about  to  hear,  he  commanded  the  execu- 
tioners to  continue  their  beating  of  Fulgentius.  After  that, 
the  two  abbots,  naked  and  bruised,  were  driven  away. 
Before  being  brought  before  the  Arian  priest,  Felix  had 
thrown  away  a  few  coins  he  possessed ;  and  his  captors,  not 
observing  this,  after  they  were  released,  he  and  Fulgentius 
returned  to  the  spot  and  recovered  them  all  again.  The 
Arian  bishop,  whose  relations  were  acquainted  with  the 
family  of  Fulgentius,  was  much  annoyed  at  this  proceeding 
of  the  priest,  and  severely  reprimanded  him.  He  also  urged 
Fulgentius  to  bring  an  action  against  him,  but  the  confessor 
declined,  partly  because  a  Christian  should  never  seek 
revenge,  partly  also  because  he  was  unwilling  to  plead  before 
a  bishop  who  denied  the  divinity  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
Fulgentius,  resolving  to  visit  the  deserts  of  Egypt,  renowned 
for  the  sanctity  of  the  solitaries  who  dwelt  there,  went  on 
board  a  ship  for  Alexandria,  but  the  vessel  touching  at  Sicily, 
S.  Eulalius,  abbot  at  Syracuse,  diverted  him  from  his  inten- 
tion, assuring  him  that  "  a  perfidious  dissension  had  severed 
this  country  from  the  communion  of  S.  Peter.  All  these 
monks,  whose  marvellous  abstinence  is  noised  abroad,  have 
not  got  with  you  the  Sacrament  of  the  Altar  in  common  f 
meaning  that  Egypt  was  full  of  heretics.  Fulgentius  visited 
Rome  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  500,  during  the  entry  of 
Theodoric.  "Oh,"  said  he,  "how  beautiful  must  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem  be,  if  earthly  Rome  be  so  glorious."    A 

4t — — — * 


-* 


14  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i. 

short  time  after,  Fulgentius  returned  home,  and  built  himself 
a  cell  on  the  sea-shore,  where  he  spent  his  time  in  prayer, 
reading  and  writing,  and  in  making  mats  and  umbrellas 
of  palm  leaves. 

At  this  time  the  Vandal  heretic,  King  Thrasimund,  having 
forbidden  the  consecration  of  Catholic  bishops,  many  sees 
were  destitute  of  pastors,  and  the  faithful  were  reduced  to 
great  distress.  Faustus,  the  bishop,  had  ordained  Fulgentius 
priest,  on  his  return  to  Byzacene,  and  now,  many  places  de- 
manded him  as  their  bishop.  Fulgentius,  fearing  this  re- 
sponsibility, hid  himself;  but  in  a  time  of  such  trial  and 
difficulty  the  Lord  had  need  of  him,  and  He  called  him  to 
shepherd  His  flock  in  a  marvellous  manner.  There  was  a 
city  named  Ruspe,  then  destitute  of  a  bishop,  for  an  influen- 
tial deacon  therein,  named  Felix,  whose  brother  was  a  friend 
of  the  procurator,  desired  the  office  for  himself.  But  the 
people,  disapproving  his  ambition,  made  choice  unanimously 
of  Fulgentius,  of  whom  they  knew  only  by  report ;  and  upon 
the  primate  Victor,  bishop  of  Carthage,  giving  his  consent 
that  the  neighbouring  bishops  should  consecrate  him,  several 
people  of  Ruspe  betook  themselves  to  the  cell  of  Fulgentius, 
and  by  force  compelled  him  to  consent  to  be  ordained. 
Thus,  he  might  say,  in  the  words  of  the  prophet,  "  A  people 
whom  I  have  not  known  shall  serve  me." 

The  deacon,  Felix,  taking  advantage  of  the  illegality  of  the 
proceeding,  determined  to  oppose  the  entrance  of  S.  Ful- 
gentius by  force,  and  occupied  the  road  by  which  he  pre- 
sumed the  bishop  would  enter  Ruspe.  By  some  means  the 
people  went  out  to  meet  him  another  way,  and  brought  him 
into  the  Cathedral,  where  he  was  installed,  whilst  the  deacon, 
Felix,  was  still  awaiting  his  arrival  in  the  road.  Then  he 
celebrated  the  Divine  Mysteries,  with  great  solemnity,  and 
communicated  all  the  people.     And  when  Felix,  the  deacon, 


*— 


£, — * 

January  i.]  S.     Ftilge7ltiuSt  I  5 

heard  this,  he  was  abashed,  and  refrained  from  further 
opposition.  Fulgentius  received  him  with  great  sweetness 
and  charity,  and  afterwards  ordained  him  priest. 

As  bishop,  S.  Fulgentius  lived  like  a  monk  ;  he  fed  on  the 
coarsest  food,  and  dressed  himself  in  the  plainest  garb,  not 
wearing  the  orarium,  which  it  was  customary  for  bishops  to 
put  upon  them.  He  would  not  wear  a  cloak  (casula)  of  gay 
colour,  but  one  very  plain,  and  beneath  it  a  blackish,  or 
milk-coloured  habit  (pallium),  girded  about  him.  Whatever 
might  be  the  weather,  in  the  monastery  he  wore  this  habit 
alone,  and  when  he  slept,  he  never  loosed  his  girdle.  "  In 
the  tunic  in  which  he  slept,  in  that  did  he  sacrifice ;  he  may 
be  said,  in  time  of  sacrifice,  to  have  changed  his  heart  rather 
than  his  habit." l 

His  great  love  for  a  recluse  life  induced  him  to  build  a 
monastery  near  his  house  at  Ruspe,  which  he  designed  to 
place  under  the  direction  of  his  old  friend,  the  Abbot  Felix. 
But  before  the  building  could  be  completed,  King  Thrasi- 
mund  ordered  the  banishment  of  the  Catholic  bishops  to 
Sardinia.  Accordingly,  S.  Fulgentius  and  other  prelates, 
sixty  in  all,  were  earned  into  exile,  and  during  their  banish- 
ment they  were  provided  yearly  with  provisions  and  money 
by  the  liberality  of  Symmachus,  Bishop  of  Rome.  A  letter 
of  this  Pope  to  them  is  still  extant,  in  which  he  encourages 
them,  and  comforts  them.  S.  Fulgentius,  during  his  retire- 
ment, composed  several  treatises  for  the  confirmation  of  the 
faith  of  the  orthodox  in  Africa.  King  Thrasimund,  desirous 
of  seeing  him,  sent  for  him,  and  appointed  him  lodgings  in 

1  This  passage  has  been  quoted  by  some  to  show  that  at  this  period  special  vest- 
ments were  not  in  general  use  for  the  Eucharist,  as  an  argument  against  their  present 
use.  But  it  by  no  means  appears  from  the  passage  quoted  that  Fulgentius  did  not 
wear  Eucharistic  vestments.  It  simply  says  that  he  wore  at  Mass  the  habit  he  lived 
and  slept  in.  This  is  what  monks  and  friars  do  now  ;  they  put  the  vestment  over  the 
habit. 


# ■ * 


* -* 

1 6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rjanuAtyi. 

Carthage.  The  king  drew  up  a  set  of  ten  objections  to  the 
Catholic  faith,  and  required  Fulgentius  to  answer  them. 
The  Saint  immediately  complied  with  his  request,  and  his 
answer  had  such  effect,  that  the  king,  when  he  sent  him  new 
objections,  ordered  that  the  answers  should  be  read  to  him- 
self alone.  He  then  addressed  to  Thrasimund  a  confutation 
of  Arianism,  which  we  have  under  the  title  of  "  Three  Books 
to  King  Thrasimund."  The  prince  was  pleased  with  the 
work,  and  granted  him  permission  to  reside  at  Carthage ;  till, 
upon  repeated  complaints  from  the  Arian  bishops,  of  the 
success  of  his  preaching,  which  threatened,  they  said,  the 
total  conversion  of  the  city  to  the  faith  in  the  ConsubstantiaL 
he  was  sent  back  to  Sardinia,  in  520.  He  was  sent  on  board 
one  stormy  night,  that  he  might  be  taken  away  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  people,  but  the  wind  being  contrary,  the 
vessel  was  driven  into  port  again  in  the  morning,  and  the 
news  having  spread  that  the  bishop  was  about  to  be  taken 
from  them,  the  people  crowded  to  say  farewell,  and  he  was 
enabled  to  go  to  a  church,  celebrate,  and  communicate  all 
the  faithful.  Being  ready  to  go  on  board  when  the  wind 
shifted,  he  said  to  a  Catholic,  whom  he  saw  weeping, 
"Grieve  not,  I  shall  shortly  return,  and  the  true  faith  of 
Christ  will  flourish  again  in  this  realm,  with  full  liberty  to 
profess  it ;  but  divulge  not  this  secret  to  any." 

The  event  confirmed  the  truth  of  the  prediction.  Thrasi- 
mund died  in  523,  and  was  succeeded  by  Hilderic,  who  gave 
orders  for  the  restoration  of  the  orthodox  bishops  to  their 
sees,  and  that  liberty  of  worship  should  be  accorded  to  the 
Catholics. 

The  ship  which  brought  back  the  bishops  to  Carthage  was 
received  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy.  The  pupil  of 
the  bishop,  and  eye-witness  of  the  scene,  thus  describes  it: — ■ 
"  Such  was  the  devotion  of  the  Carthaginian  citizens,  desir- 
ing to  see  the  blessed  Fulgentius  again,  that  all  the  people 


* -* 

January  I.]  S.     FulgeflUuS.  I'J 

ardently  looked  for  him  whom  they  had  seen  wrestle  so  man- 
fully before  them.  The  multitude,  which  stood  upon  the 
shore,  was  silent  in  expectation  as  the  other  bishops  disem- 
barked before  him,  seeking  with  eyes  and  thoughts  only  him 
whom  they  had  familiarly  known,  and  eagerly  expecting  him 
from  the  ship.  And  when  his  face  appeared,  there  broke 
forth  a  huge  clamour,  all  striving  who  should  first  salute  him, 
who  should  first  bow  his  head  to  him  giving  the  benediction, 
who  should  deserve  to  touch  the  tips  of  his  fingers  as  he 
walked,  who  might  even  catch  a  glimpse  of  him,  standing 
afar  off.  From  every  tongue  resounded  the  praise  of  God. 
Then  the  people,  going  before  and  following  after  the  proces- 
sion of  the  blessed  confessors,  moved  to  the  Church  of  S. 
Agileus.  But  there  was  such  a  throng  of  people,  especially 
around  Fulgentius,  whom  they  especially  honoured,  that  a 
ring  had  to  be  formed  about  him  by  the  holy  precaution  of 
the  Christians,  to  allow  him  to  advance  upon  his  way. 
Moreover,  the  Lord,  desiring  to  prove  the  charity  of  the 
faithful,  marvellously  poured  upon  them,  as  they  moved,  a 
heavy  shower  of  rain.  But  the  heavy  down-pour  deterred 
none  of  them,  but  seemed  to  be  the  abundant  benediction 
of  heaven  descending  on  them,  and  it  so  increased  their 
faith,  that  they  spread  their  cloaks  above  blessed  Fulgentius, 
and  composed  of  their  great  love  a  new  sort  of  tabernacle 
over  him.  And  the  evening  approaching,  the  company  of 
prelates  presented  themselves  before  Boniface,  the  bishop 
(of  Carthage)  of  pious  memory,  and  all  together  praised  and 
glorified  God.  Then  the  blessed  Fulgentius  traversed  the 
streets  of  Carthage,  visiting  his  friends  and  blessing  them ;  he 
rejoiced  with  them  that  did  rejoice,  and  wept  with  them  that 
did  weep ;  and  so,  having  satisfied  all  their  wishes,  he  bade 
farewell  to  his  brethren,  and  went  forth  out  of  Carthage, 
finding  on  all  the  roads  people  coming  to  meet  him  in  the 
way  with  lanterns,  and  candles,  and  boughs  of  trees,  and  great 

VOL.  i.  ? 

* . — -jj, 


f 

1 8  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i. 


joy,  giving  praises  to  the  ineffable  God,  who  had  wondrously 
made  the  blessed  Fulgentius  well  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  all 
men.  He  was  received  in  all  the  churches  as  if  he  were 
their  bishop,  and  thus  the  people  throughout  Byzacene 
rejoiced  as  one  man  over  his  return." 

Arrived  at  Ruspe,  S.  Fulgentius  diligently  laboured  to 
correct  what  was  evil,  and  restore  what  was  fallen  down, 
and  strengthen  what  was  feeble  in  his  diocese.  The  perse- 
cution had  lasted  seventy  years,  so  that  many  abuses  had 
crept  in,  and  the  faith  of  many  was  feeble,  and  ignorance 
prevailed.  He  carried  out  his  reformation  with  such  gentle- 
ness, that  he  won,  sooner  or  later,  the  hearts  of  the  most 
vicious. 

In  a  council,  held  at  Junque,  in  524,  a  certain  bishop, 
named  Quodvultdeus,  disputed  the  precedency  with  the 
Bishop  of  Ruspe,  who  made  no  reply,  but  took  the  first 
place  accorded  him  by  the  council.  However,  S.  Fulgentius 
publicly  desired,  at  the  convention  of  another  council,  that 
he  might  be  allowed  to  yield  the  precedence  to  Quodvult- 
deus. 

About  a  year  before  his  death,  the  bishop  retired  from  all 
business,  to  prepare  his  soul  for  its  exit,  to  a  little  island 
named  Circinia.  The  necessities  of  his  flock  recalled  him, 
however,  to  Ruspe  for  a  little  while. 

He  bore  the  violent  pains  of  his  last  illness  with  great 
resignation,  praying  incessantly,  "  Lord  grant  me  patience 
now,  and  afterwards  pardon."  He  called  his  clergy  about 
him,  and  asked  them  to  forgive  him  if  he  had  shewn  too 
great  severity  at  any  time,  or  had  offended  them  in  any  way, 
and  then,  committing  his  soul  into  the  hand  of  God  as  a 
merciful  Creator,  he  fell  asleep  in  the  evening  of  January 
1st,  a.d.  533,  in  his  sixty-fifth  year. 

Relics,  at  Bourges,  in  France,  where  May  16  is  observed 
as  the  feast  of  his  translation,  in  the  year  714. 

*—  £1 


* * 

January  i.]  S.     Moc/lUCl.  1 9 

S.  MOCHUA,  OR  CUAN. 
(about  6th  cent.) 

[Commemorated  in  the  ancient  Irish  Martyrologies  on  the  nth  April; 
probably  as  being  the  day  of  his  translation.  But  he  died  on  Jan.  1st. 
The  life  of  S.  Mochua,  in  the  Bollandists,  is  legendary,  and  is  full  of  the 
wildest  fable.] 

Saint  Mochua  was  the  son  of  a  certain  Cronan,  of  noble 
race,  and  spent  his  youth  in  fighting.  At  the  age  of  thirty, 
he  laid  aside  his  arms,  and  burnt  a  house,  with  all  its  contents, 
which  had  been  given  to  him  by  his  uncle,  saying  that  a 
servant  of  Christ  should  take  nothing  from  sinners.  Then  he 
settled  at  a  spot  called  Teach  Mochua.  He  is  said  to  have 
healed  S.  Finnan,  or  Munnu,  of  leprosy,  and  when  S.  Finnan 
was  about  to  return  home,  and  his  horse  broke  its  leg,  S. 
Mochua  summoned  a  stag  out  of  the  forest  to  come  and 
draw  the  vehicle,  in  place  of  the  horse. 

In  his  time,  the  first  stone  church  was  erected  in  Ireland 
by  S.  Kieran,  and  during  the  building  of  the  church,  there 
fell  no  rain  to  impede  the  masons,  for  the  clouds  were  stayed 
by  the  prayers  of  S.  Mochua.  He  is  said  to  have  founded 
thirty  churches.  To  assist  in  drawing  wood  from  the  forest  to 
build  these  churches,  Mochua  called  to  his  aid  twelve  stags, 
which  served  as  patiently  and  obediently  as  oxen.  And 
when  his  virtues  drew  to  him  many  people  and  much  praise, 
the  old  man  fled  from  place  to  place,  for  he  considered  that 
the  glory  of  this  world  would  turn  his  heart  from  the  glory 
of  the  world  to  come.  And  when  very  aged,  he  escaped 
with  his  oratory  bell  into  a  wild  and  mountainous  part,  and 
there  the  clapper  fell  to  the  ground,  at  a  place  called 
Dagrinnis.  He  was  troubled  in  spirit,  so  bleak  and  lonely 
did  the  place  appear ;  but  an  angel  announced  to  him  that 
there  he  was  to  build  a  cell,  and  there  to  die ;  and  in  this 
spot  he  spent  thirty  years,  and  wrought  many  miracles,  and 
died  in  the  ninety-ninth  year  of  his  age. 


* -,3, 

20  LiveS   Of  the    SaintS.  [January  1. 


It  is  difficult  to  clear  the  lives  of  many  of  the  Irish  Saints 
from  the  fable  wherewith  lively  imaginations  have  invested 
them,  in  their  oral  transmission  through  many  hundreds  of 
years. 

S.   MOCHUA,   OR  CRONAN,   OF   BALLA 

(7TH    CENT.) 

[The  day  of  his  death  is  unknown.  He  is  here  mentioned  because  of 
the  similarity  of  his  name  to  that  of  S.  Mochua,  of  Teach  Mochua.  His 
life  is  legendary.] 

Saint  Mochua,  or  Cronan,  was  the  third  son  of  Began,  a 
man  of  good  family.  As  a  child,  he  was  despised  by  his 
parents,  and  sent  to  keep  sheep.  But  S.  Congal,  passing  by 
his  father's  house,  called  the  boy  to  follow  him,  and  made 
him  a  monk.  S.  Mochua  founded  the  monastery  of  Balla. 
in  Connaught.  He  departed  to  the  Lord  in  the  fifty-sixth 
year  of  his  age. 

S.    ODILO,   AB.   CLUNY. 

(a.d„  1049.) 

[Roman  and  Benedictine  Martyrologies.  Two  lives  of  S.  Odilo  are 
extant,  one  written  by  Jotsald,  a  monk,  who  had  lived  under  his  rule, 
and  who  wrote  it  for  Stephen,  the  nephew  of  the  Saint.  The  other,  a 
very  inferior  life,  by  S.  Peter  Damian.  Both  are  printed  in  the  Bollan- 
dists,  but  the  first  is  from  an  imperfect  MS.  It  was  printed  entire  by 
Mabillon,  Acta  SS.  O.  S.  B.] 

Odilo  belonged  to  the  family  of  Mercoeur,  one  of  the  most 
illustrious  of  Auvergne.  Jotsald  says  : — "  In  the  beginning 
of  the  account  of  his  virtues  I  must  relate  what  happened  to 
him  as  a  boy.  And  lest  it  be  thought  incredible,  I  mention 
that  I  heard  it  from  those  to  whom  he  was  wont  to  narrate 
the  circumstance.  When  he  was  quite  a  little  boy  in  his 
father's  house,  before  he  was  sent  to  school,  he  was  destitute 

* * 


January  i.]  S.     OdUo.  21 

of  almost  all  power  in  his  limbs,  so  that  he  could  not  walk  or 
move  himself  without  help.  It  happened  that  one  day  his 
father's  family  were  moving  to  another  place,  and  a  nurse 
was  given  charge  of  him  to  carry  him.  On  her  way,  she  put 
the  little  boy  down  with  her  bundles  before  the  door  of  a 
church,  dedicated  to  the  Mother  of  God,  as  she  and  the 
rest  were  obliged  to  go  into  some  adjacent  houses  to  pro- 
cure food.  As  they  were  some  while  absent,  the  boy  find- 
ing himself  left  alone,  impelled  by  divine  inspirations,  began 
to  try  to  get  to  the  door  and  enter  the  Church  of  the 
Mother  of  God.  By  some  means,  crawling  on  hands  and 
knees,  he  reached  it,  and  entered  the  church,  and  went  to 
the  altar,  and  caught  the  altar  vestment  with  his  hands; 
then,  with  all  his  power,  stretching  his  hands  on  high,  he  tried 
to  rise,  but  was  unable  to  do  so,  his  joints  having  been  so 
long  ill-united.  Nevertheless,  divine  power  conquered, 
strengthening  and  repairing  the  feeble  limbs  of  the  boy. 
Thus,  by  the  intervention  of  the  Mother  of  God,  he  rose, 
and  stood  upon  his  feet  whole,  and  ran  here  and  there 
about  the  altar.  The  servants  returning  to  fetch  their  bun- 
dles, and  not  finding  the  child,  were  much  surprised,  and 
looked  in  all  directions,  and  not  seeing  him,  became  greatly 
alarmed.  However,  by  chance,  entering  the  church,  they 
saw  him  rambling  and  running  about  it ;  then  they  recog- 
nised the  power  of  God,  and  joyously  took  the  boy  in  their 
arms,  and  went  to  their  destination,  and  gave  him,  com- 
pletely whole,  to  his  parents,  with  great  gladness." 

As  a  child,  he  showed  singular  simplicity,  modesty,  and 
piety.  "  Thus  passed  his  childish  years,  and  as  the  strength 
of  youth  began  to  succeed  to  boyhood,  he  silently  meditated 
how  to  desert  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt,  and  to  strive  to 
enter  the  Land  of  Promise,  through  the  trials  of  the  world. 
O  good  Jesu  !  how  sweet  is  Thy  call !  how  sweet  the  inspi- 
ration of  Thy  Spirit,  which  as  soon  as  Thou  strikest  on  the 

>j,— ,j, 


* 

2  2  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  i. 

heart,  turns  the  fire  of  the  Babylonish  furnace  into  love  of 
the  celestial  country.  So  !  as  soon  as  thou  strikest  the  heart 
of  the  youth,  thou  changest  it."  Whilst  he  was  thus  medita- 
ting, S.  Majolus  passed  through  Auvergne,  and  Odilo  came 
to  him  ;  then  the  old  man,  looking  on  the  graceful  form  and 
comely  face  of  the  youth,  and  by  the  instinct  of  the  Saints 
seeing  into  his  soul,  he  loved  him  greatly ;  also  the  youthful 
Odilo  felt  a  great  affection  for  the  aged  monk.  And  when 
they  spoke  to  one  another,  Odilo  opened  his  heart  to 
Majolus,  and  the  venerable  man  encouraged  the  youth  to 
persevere  in  his  good  intentions. 

Shortly  after,  Odilo  left  his  home,  "as  Abraham  of  old 
went  forth  out  of  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  and  sought  admittance 
into  the  abbey  of  Cluny,  as  into  the  Promised  Land.  O 
good  Jesu  !  how  pleasant  it  was  to  see  this  sheep  shorn  of 
its  worldly  fleece,  again  ascend  as  from  the  baptismal  font  ! 
Then,  wearing  our  habit,  you  might  have  seen  our  sheep 
amongst  the  others  of  His  flock,  first  in  work,  last  in  place, 
seeking  the  pastures  of  eternal  verdure ;  attending  to  the 
lamps,  sweeping  the  floors,  and  doing  other  common  offices. 
But  the  pearl  could  not  remain  long  concealed.  After  four 
years,  S.  Majolus,  after  many  hard  labours  borne  for  Christ, 
went  out  of  the  darkness  of  Egypt,  entered  Jerusalem,  and 
was  placed  in  eternal  peace  by  Christ.  As  death  approached, 
he  chose  Odilo  to  be  his  successor,  and  to  him  and  to  the 
Lord,  he  committed  his  flock."  But  S.  Odilo  shrank  from 
the  position  for  which  his  youth,  as  he  considered,  disquali- 
fied him ;  however,  he  was  elected  by  the  whole  community, 
and  was  therefore  unable  to  refuse  the  office  wherewith  he 
was  invested  by  the  vote  of  the  brethren,  and  the  desire  of 
the  late  abbot. 

His  disciple,  Jotsald,  gives  a  very  beautiful  picture  of  his 
master.  He  describes  him  as  being  of  middle  stature,  with 
a  face  beaming  with  grace,  and  full  of  authority ;  very  ema- 


i 
— * 


^__ _ . . — f 

January  i.l  S.     Odllo.  23 

ciated  and  pale ;  his  eyes  bright  and  piercing,  and  often 
shedding  tears  of  compunction.  Every  motion  of  his  body 
was  grave  and  dignified ;  his  voice  was  manly,  and  modu- 
lated to  the  greatest  sweetness,  his  speech  straightforward 
and  without  affectation  or  artificiality. 

His  disciple  says  that  he  would  recite  psalms  as  he  lay  on 
his  bed,  and  falling  asleep,  his  lips  would  still  continue  the 
familiar  words,  so  that  the  brethren  applied  to  him  the 
words  of  the  bride,  "  I  sleep  but  my  heart  waketh,"  Ego 
dormio  et  cor  meum  vigilat.  He  read  diligently,  and  nothing 
gave  him  greater  delight  than  study.  His  consideration  for 
others  was  very  marked.  "  He  was  burdensome  to  none,  to 
none  importunate,  desirous  of  no  honour,  he  sought  not  to 
get  what  belonged  to  others,  nor  to  keep  what  was  his  own." 
His  charity  was  most  abundant ;  often  the  brethren  feared 
that  it  exceeded  what  was  reasonable,  but  they  found  that 
though  he  gave  largely,  he  did  not  waste  the  revenues  of  the 
monastery.  Once,  in  time  of  famine,  he  was  riding  along  a 
road,  when  he  lit  on  the  naked  bodies  of  two  poor  boys 
who  had  died  of  hunger.  Odilo  burst  into  tears,  and  des- 
cending from  his  horse,  drew  off  his  woollen  under  garment 
and  wrapping  the  bodies  in  it,  carefully  buried  them.  In  this 
famine  he  sold  the  costly  vessels  of  the  Sanctuary,  and  des- 
poiled the  Church  of  its  gold  and  silver  ornaments,  that  he 
might  feed  the  starving  people.  Amongst  the  objects  thus 
parted  with  was  the  crown  of  gold  presented  to  the  abbey 
by  Henry,  King  of  the  Romans.  He  accompanied  this 
Prince  in  his  journey  to  Rome,  when  he  was  crowned  em- 
peror, in  1014.  This  was  his  second  journey  thither;  he 
made  a  third  in  1017,  and  a  fourth  in  1022.  Out  of  devo- 
tion to  S.  Benedict,  he  paid  a  visit  to  Monte  Cassino,  where 
he  kissed  the  feet  of  all  the  monks,  at  his  own  request, 
which  was  granted  him  with  great  reluctance. 

"  The  convocation  of  the  brethren  was  regularly  held  by 

ft . . >£ 


24  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i. 


him  till  he  was  at  the  point  of  death.  O  how  joyous  he  was 
in  the  midst  of  them,  as  standing  in  the  midst  of  the  choir, 
and  looking  to  right  and  left  he  saw  the  ring  of  young 
plantings,  and  remembered  the  verse  of  David's  song,  '  Thy 
children  shall  be  as  the  olive  branches  round  about  thy 
table.'  Filii  tui  sicut  novella  olivarum,  in  circuitu  mensce 
tucz.  And  the  more  the  number  of  brothers  increased,  the 
more  he  exhibited  his  joy  of  heart  by  signs.  And  when 
some  seemed  distressed  thereat,  he  was  wont  to  say,  '  Grieve 
not  that  the  flock  has  become  great,  my  brothers,  He  who 
has  called  us  in,  He  governs,  and  will  provide/" 

Fulbert,  Bishop  of  Chartres,  called  him  the  archangel  of 
monks ;  and  the  name,  says  his  disciple,  became  him  well. 
S.  Odilo,  out  of  his  great  compassion  for  the  souls  of  the 
dead  expiating  the  penalty  of  their  sins  in  purgatory,  insti- 
tuted the  commemoration  of  All  Souls  for  the  morrow  of  All 
Saints,  in  the  Cluniac  order,  which  was  afterwards  adopted  by 
the  whole  Catholic  Church  in  the  West.  Many  incidents  of 
his  travels,  and  miracles  that  he  wrought,  are  related  by  his 
pupil.  As  he  was  riding  over  the  Jura  mountains,  in  snowy 
weather,  the  horse  carrying  his  luggage  fell,  and  was  preci- 
pitated into  the  valley,  and  all  the  baggage  was  scattered 
in  the  snow-drifts.  With  much  trouble,  the  horse  and  much 
of  the  baggage  were  recovered,  but  a  valuable  Sacramentary, 
inscribed  with  gilt  letters,  and  some  glass  vessels,  with  em- 
bossed work,  were  lost.  That  evening,  Odilo  and  his  monks 
arrived  at  a  cell,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  S.  Eugendus,  and 
being  much  troubled  at  his  loss,  as  much  rain  fell  in  the 
night,  S.  Odilo  sent  some  of  the  brethren  early  next  morn- 
ing to  search  for  the  lost  treasures.  But  the  snow-drifts 
were  so  deep  that  they  could  not  find  them,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  without  them.  However,  as  the  spring 
came  round,  a  certain  priest,  named  Ermendran,  was  walk- 
ing in  the  glen,  and  he  found  the  book  uninjured,  and  the 

*— * 


*- * 

January  i.]  S.     OdUo.  2^ 

glass  goblets  unbroken.  He  brought  them  to  the  cell,  and 
on  the  return  of  Odilo  to  the  Jura,  he  received  his  lost 
treasures  intact. 

Another  story  of  a  glass  vessel  comes  on  good  authority. 
The  circumstances  were  related  by  Albert,  Bishop  of  Como, 
in  these  words,  "  Once  our  Abbot  and  Superior  came  to  the 
court  of  the  Emperor  Henry,  and  whilst  there,  it  happened 
one  day  that  at  table  a  goblet  of  glass,  of  Alexandrine  work- 
manship, very  precious,  with  coloured  enamel  on  it,  was 
placed  before  him.  He  called  me  and  Landulf,  afterwards 
Bishop  of  Turin,  to  him,  and  bade  us  take  this  glass  to  Odilo. 
We  accordingly,  as  the  Emperor  had  bidden,  took  it,  and 
going  to  the  abbot,  offered  it  to  him,  on  the  part  of  the  Em- 
peror, humbly  bowing.  He  received  it  with  great  humility, 
and  told  us  to  return  after  a  while  for  the  goblet  again.  Then, 
when  we  had  gone  away,  the  monks,  filled  with  natural  curi- 
osity to  see  and  handle  a  new  sort  of  thing,  passed  the 
vessel  from  hand  to  hand,  and  as  they  were  examining  it,  it 
slipped  through  their  fingers  to  the  ground,  and  was  broken. 
When  the  gentle  man  of  God  was  told  this,  he  was  not  a 
little  grieved,  and  said,  '  My  brothers,  you  have  not  done  well, 
for  by  your  negligence,  the  young  clerks  who  have  the  cus- 
tody of  these  things  will,  maybe,  lose  the  favour  of  the 
Emperor,  through  your  fault.  Now,  that  those  who  are  in- 
nocent may  not  suffer  for  your  carelessness,  let  us  all  go  to 
church  and  ask  God's  mercy  about  this  matter.'  Therefore, 
they  all  ran  together  into  the  church,  and  sang  psalms  and 
prayed,  lest  some  harm  should  befall  us — Albert  and  Lan- 
dulf, each  of  them  earnestly  supplicating  God  for  us.  When 
the  prayer  was  over,  the  holy  man  ordered  the  broken  gob- 
let to  be  brought  to  him.  He  looked  at  it,  and  felt  it,  and 
could  find  no  crack  or  breakage  in  it.  Wherefore,  he  ex- 
claimed indignantly,  '  What  are  you  about,  brothers  ?  You 
must  be  blind  to  say  that  the  glass  is  broken,  when  there  is 

* ■ — ■ * 


* — j£ 

26  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u*>viary  1. 

not  a  sign  of  injury  done  to  it'  The  brethren,  considering 
it,  were  amazed  at  the  miracle,  and  did  not  dare  to  speak. 
Then,  after  a  while,  I  and  my  companion  came  back  for  the 
vessel,  and  we  asked  it  of  him  who  was  carrying  it.  He 
called  me  apart,  and  returned  it  to  me,  bidding  me  tell 
the  Emperor  to  regard  it  as  a  great  treasure.  And  when 
I  asked  his  meaning,  he  told  me  all  that  had  happened." 

S.  Odilo  seems  to  have  been  fond  of  art,  for  he  rebuilt  the 
monasteries  of  his  order,  and  made  them  very  beautiful,  and 
the  churches  he  adorned  with  all  the  costly  things  he  could 
procure.  The  marble  pillars  for  Cluny  were  brought,  by  his 
orders,  in  rafts  down  the  Durance,  into  the  Rhone,  and  he 
was  wont  to  say  of  Cluny,  that  he  found  it  of  wood  and  left 
it  of  marble.  He  erected  over  the  altar  of  S.  Peter,  in  the 
church,  a  ciborium,  whose  columns  were  covered  with 
silver,  inlaid  with  nigello  work. 

When  he  felt  that  his  death  approached,  he  made  a 
circuit  of  all  the  monasteries  under  his  sway,  that  he  might 
leave  them  in  thorough  discipline,  and  give  them  his  last 
admonitions.  On  this  journey  he  reached  Souvigny,  a  priory 
in  Bourbonnais,  where  he  celebrated  the  Vigil  of  the  Nati- 
vity, and  preached  to  the  people,  although  at  the  time  suffer- 
ing great  pain.  After  that,  he  announced  to  the  brethren  in 
chapter,  that  he  was  drawing  nigh  to  his  end,  and  he  besought 
their  prayers.  As  he  was  too  weak  to  go  to  the  great  Church 
of  S.  Peter,  which  was  attended  by  the  monks,  he  kept  the 
festival  of  the  Nativity  with  a  few  brethren,  whom  he  de- 
tained, to  be  witli  him  in  the  Chapel  of  S.  Mary  ;  joy- 
ously he  prsecented  the  psalms  and  antiphons,  and  gave  the 
benedictions,  and  performed  all  the  ceremonies  of  that  glad 
festival,  forgetful  of  his  bodily  infirmities,  knowing  that  soon 
he  was  to  see  God  face  to  face,  in  the  land  of  the  living, 
and  no  more  in  a  glass  darkly.  Most  earnest  was  he,  lest 
death  should  come  and  find  him  unprepared.     Throughout 

* — _ >j, 


* * 

January  i.]  S.     OdUo.  2  J 

the  Octave,  he  was  carried  in  the  arms  of  the  monks  to 
church,  where  he  assisted  at  the  choir  offices,  night  and 
day,  and  at  the  celebration  of  the  mass,  refreshing  himself 
at  the  sacred  mysteries,  and  looking  forward  to  the  feast  of 
the  Circumcision,  when  his  friend  William,  abbot  of  Dijon, 
had  fallen  asleep,  on  which  day,  he  foretold,  he  also  should 
enter  into  his  rest. 

On  that  day,  carried  by  his  brethren,  he  was  laid  before 
the  altar  of  the  Virgin  Mother,  and  the  monks  sang  vespers. 
Now  and  then  their  voices  failed,  through  over  much  sor- 
row, and  then  he  recited  the  words  of  the  psalms  they  in 
their  trouble  had  omitted.  As  night  crept  in  at  the  win- 
dows, he  grew  weaker  and  fainter.  Then  the  brothers  laid 
sack-cloth  and  ashes  under  him,  and  as  he  was  lifted  in  the 
arms  of  one,  brother  Bernard,  he  asked,  reviving  a  little, 
where  he  was.  The  brother  answered,  "  On  sack-cloth  and 
ashes."  Then  he  sighed  forth,  "  God  be  thanked  I"  and  he 
asked  that  the  little  children,  and  the  whole  body  of  the 
brethren,  might  be  assembled.  And  when  all  were  gathered 
around  him,  he  directed  his  eyes  to  the  Cross,  and  his  lips 
moved  in  prayer,  and  he  died  thus  in  prayer,  gazing  on  the 
sign  of  his  salvation. 

His  body  was  laid  in  the  nave  of  the  Church  of  Souvigny, 
near  that  of  S.  Majolus. 

He  is  often  represented  saying  mass,  with  purgatory  open 
beside  the  altar,  and  those  suffering  extending  their  hands 
to  him,  in  allusion  to  his  having  instituted  the  commemora- 
tion of  All  Souls. 


* * 


*- 


Lives  of  the  Saints. 


[January  a 


January  2. 
(Zljt  ©ctabe  of  &.  gttpljtn,  tge  3Fir#t  4&dart»t. 

SS.  Frontasius,  and  Companions,  MM.  in  Gaul. 

SS.  Martyrs,  at  Lichfield,  circ.  a.d.  304. 

S.  Isidore,  B.  C,  in  Egypt,  +th  cent. 

S.  Macarius,  of  Alexandria,  Ab.,  a.d.  394. 

S.  Aspasius,  C,  at  Melun,  France,  a.d.  550. 

S.  Maximus,  Ab.  M.,  in  France,  a.d.  614. 

S.  Adalhardt,  Ab.  of  Corbie,  a.d.  826. 

S.  Silvester,  Monk  of  Trani,  in  S.  Italy,  a.d.  1185. 

THE   HOLY   MARTYRS   OF  LICHFIELD. 
(a.d.  304.) 

[Anglican  Martyrologies.] 
ICHFIELD    derives   its   name   from   Lyke-field, 
the  field  of  dead  bodies,  because  it  is  tradition- 
ally said,  that  in  the  persecution  of  Diocletian, 
many   Christians   suffered   there    for   the    faith. 
The   arms   of  Lichfield  are  a  plain  strewn  with  corpses. 
Nothing  certain  is  known  of  this  event,  which  is  probably 
altogether  apocryphal. 

S.   MACARIUS   OF   ALEXANDRIA,  AB. 
(a.d.  394.) 

[There  were  two  Macarii.  Both  are  commemorated  together  by  the 
Greeks,  on  Jan.  19th  ;  but  the  Latins  commemorate  S.  Macarius  of  Alex- 
andria, on  Jan.  2nd  ;  and  S.  Macarius  the  Egyptian,  on  Jan.  15th.  The 
history  of  this  S.  Macarius  is  perfectly  authentic,  having  been  written  by 
S.  Palladius  (b.  368,)  in  the  year  421  ;  the  writer  knew  S.  Macarius  per- 
sonally, having  been  nine  years  in  "the  cells,"  of  which  S.  Macarius 
was  priest.  Three  of  these  years  Macarius  and  Palladius  lived  toge- 
ther ;  so  that,  as  the  author  says,  he  had  every  opportunity  of  judging  of 
his  manner  of  life  and  actions.] 

Saint  Macarius  the  younger  was  born  in  Alexandria,  of 
poor  parents,  and  followed  the  trade  of  confectioner.    Desir- 


£, _ * 

January  a.]  6".     MdCdriuS.  2<) 

ous  of  serving  God  with  his  whole  heart,  he  forsook  the 
world  in  the  flower  of  his  age,  and  spent  upwards  of  sixty 
years  in  the  deserts,  in  the  exercise  of  fervent  penance  and 
prayer.  He  first  retired  into  the  Thebaid,  or  Upper  Egypt, 
about  the  year  335  ;  then,  aiming  at  greater  disengagement, 
he  descended  to  Lower  Egypt,  in  or  about  the  year  373. 
Here  there  were  three  deserts  almost  adjoining  each  other; 
that  of  Scete ;  that  of  the  Cells,  so  called  because  of  the 
multitude  of  cells  wherewith  its  rocks  were  honey-combed ; 
and  a  third,  which  reached  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile, 
called  the  Nitrian  desert  S.  Macarius  had  a  cell  in  each 
of  these  deserts.  When  he  was  in  Nitria  he  gave  advice  to 
those  who  sought  him.  But  his  chief  residence  was  in  the 
desert  of  the  Cells.  There  each  hermit  lived  separate,  as- 
sembling only  on  Saturday  and  Sunday,  in  the  church,  to 
celebrate  the  divine  mysteries,  and  to  partake  of  the  Holy 
Communion.  All  the  brothers  were  employed  at  some 
handicraft,  generally  they  platted  baskets  or  mats.  All  in 
the  burning  desert  was  still ;  in  their  cells  the  hermits  worked, 
and  prayed,  and  cooked  their  scanty  victuals,  till  the  red 
ball  of  the  sun  went  down  behind  the  sandy  plain  to  the 
west;  then  from  all  that  region  rose  a  hum  of  voices,  the 
rise  and  fall  of  song,  as  the  evening  psalms  and  hymns  were 
being  chanted  by  that  great  multitude  of  solitaries  in  dens 
and  caves  of  the  earth. 

Palladius  has  recorded  an  instance  of  the  great  self-denial 
observed  by  these  hermits.  A  present  was  made  to  S. 
Macarius  of  a  bunch  of  grapes,  newly  gathered.  The  holy 
man  carried  it  to  a  neighbouring  solitary  who  was  sick;  he 
sent  it  to  another,  and  each  wishing  that  some  dear  brother 
should  enjoy  the  fruit  rather  than  himself,  passed  it  on  to 
another ;  and  thus  the  bunch  of  grapes  made  the  circuit  of 
the  cells,  and  was  brought  back  to  Macarius. 

The  severity  of  life  practised  by  these  hermits  was  great 

*— ■ ■ ■ ■ " — * 


(J, , _ * 

30  Lives    Of  t/l€    SaintS.  [January  2. 

For  seven  years  together  S.  Macarius  lived  on  raw  herbs  and 
pulse,  and  for  the  three  following  years  contented  himself 
with  four  or  five  ounces  of  bread  a  day.  His  watchings 
were  not  less  surprising.  He  told  Palladius  that  it  had  been 
his  great  desire  to  fix  his  mind  on  God  alone  for  five  days 
and  nights  continuously.  And  when  he  supposed  he  was  in 
the  proper  mood,  he  closed  his  cell,  and  stood  up,  and  said, 
"  Now  thou  hast  angels  and  archangels,  and  all  the  heavenly 
host  in  company  with  thee.  Be  in  heaven,  and  forget 
earthly  things."  And  so  he  continued  for  two  nights  and 
days,  wrapped  in  heavenly  contemplations,  but  dien  his 
hut  seemed  to  flame  about  him,  even  the  mat  on  which  he 
stood,  and  his  mind  was  diverted  to  earth.  "  But  it  was  as 
well,"  said  he ;  "for  I  might  have  fallen  into  pride." 

The  reputation  of  the  monastery  of  Tabenna,  under  S. 
Pachomius,  drew  him  to  it  in  disguise.  S.  Pachomius  told 
him  he  seemed  too  far  advanced  in  years  to  begin  to  prac- 
tise the  austerities  undergone  by  himself  and  his  monks ; 
nevertheless,  on  his  earnest  entreaty,  he  admitted  him. 
Then  Lent  drew  on,  and  the  aged  Macarius  saw  the  monks 
fasting,  some  two  whole  days,  others  five,  some  standing  all 
night,  and  sitting  at  their  work  during  the  day.  Then  he, 
having  soaked  some  palm  leaves,  as  material  for  his  work, 
went  apart  into  a  corner,  and  till  Easter  came,  he  neither  ate 
nor  drank,  nor  sat  down,  nor  bowed  his  knee,  nor  lay  down, 
and  sustained  life  on  a  few  raw  cabbage  leaves  which  he  ate 
on  Sundays ;  and  when  he  went  forth  for  any  need  he 
returned  silently  to  his  work,  and  occupied  his  hands  in 
platting,  and  his  heart  in  prayer.  But  when  the  others 
saw  this,  they  were  astonished,  and  remonstrated  with  S. 
Pachomius,  saying,  "  Why  hast  thou  brought  this  fleshless 
man  here  to  confound  us  with  his  austerities.  Send  him 
away,  or  we  will  desert  this  place."  Then  the  abbot  went  to 
Macarius,  and  asked  him  who  he  was,  and  when  he  told  his 

* 


*fr        * 

Januarys]  5*.     MdCCiriUS.  3  I 

name,  Pachomius  was  glad,  and  cried,  "  Many  years  have  I 
desired  to  see  thee.  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  humbled 
my  sons;  but  now,  go  thy  way,  sufficiently  hast  thou 
edified  us ;  go,  and  pray  for  us."  Macarius,  on  one  occa- 
sion, to  subdue  his  flesh,  filled  two  great  baskets  with 
sand,  and  laying  them  on  his  shoulders,  walked  over  the 
hot  desert,  bowed  beneath  them.  A  friend  meeting  him, 
offered  to  ease  him  of  his  burden,  but  "No,"  said  the 
old  hermit,  "  I  have  to  torment  my  tormentor ;"  meaning 
his  body. 

One  day,  a  gnat  stung  him  in  his  cell,  and  he  killed  it. 
Then,  ashamed  that  he  had  allowed  himself  to  be  irritated 
by  the  petty  insect,  and  to  have  lost  an  opportunity  of 
enduring  mortification  with  equanimity,  he  went  to  the 
marshes  of  Scete,  and  stayed  there  six  months,  suffering 
greatly  from  the  stings  of  the  insects.  When  he  returned, 
he  was  so  disfigured  by  their  bites,  that  he  was  only  recog- 
nized by  his  voice. 

The  terrible  severity  with  which  these  Egyptian  hermits 
punished  themselves  is  perhaps  startling,  but  it  was  some- 
thing needed  at  a  time  when  the  civilized  world  was  sunk  in 
luxury,  profligacy,  and  indifference.  That  was  a  time  which 
called  for  a  startling  and  vivid  contrast  to  lead  minds 
into  self-inspection.  "  Private  profligacy  among  all  ranks 
was  such  as  cannot  be  described  in  any  modern  pages. 
The  clergy  of  the  cities,  though  not  of  profligate  lives,  and 
for  the  most  part  unmarried,  were  able  to  make  no  stand 
against  the  general  corruption  of  the  age,  because — at  least 
if  we  are  to  trust  such  writers  as  Jerome  and  Chrysostom— 
they  were  giving  themselves  up  to  ambition  and  avarice, 
intrigue  and  party  spirit.  No  wonder  if,  in  such  a  state  of 
things,  the  minds  of  men  were  stirred  by  a  passion  akin  to 
despair.  It  would  have  ended  often,  but  for  Christianity,  in 
such  an  actual  despair  as  that  which  had  led,  in  past  ages, 

_ . __ . . _ . * 


*- 


-* 


32  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January ». 


more  than  one  noble  Roman  to  slay  himself,  when  he  lost 
all  hope  for  the  Republic.     Christianity  taught  those  who 
despaired  of  society,  of  the  world — in  one   word,  of  the 
Roman  empire,  and  all  that  it  had  done  for  men — to  hope 
at  last  for  a  Kingdom  of  God  after  death.     It  taught  those, 
who,   had  they  been  heathens  and  brave  enough,  would 
have  slain  themselves  to  escape  out  of  a  world  which  was  no 
place  for  honest  men,  that  the  body  must  be  kept  alive,  at 
least,  for  the  sake  of  the  immortal  soul,  doomed,  according 
to  its  works,  to  endless  bliss  or  endless  torment.     But  that 
the  world — such,  at  least,  as  they  saw  it  then — was  doomed, 
Scripture  and  their  own  reason  taught  them.     They  did  not 
merely  believe,  but  see,  in  the  misery  and  confusion,  the 
desolation,  and  degradation  around  them,  that  all  that  was 
in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and 
the  pride  of  life,  was  not  of  the  Father,  but  of  the  world ; 
that  the  world  was  passing  away,  and  the  lust  thereof,  and 
that  only  he  who  did  the  will  of  God  could  abide  for  ever. 
They  did  not  merely  believe,  but  saw,  that  the  wrath  of  God 
was  revealed   from  heaven  against  all  unrighteousness  of 
men;  and  that  the  world  in  general  was  treasuring  up  to 
themselves  wrath,  tribulation,  and  anguish,  against  a  day  of 
wrath  and  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God,  who 
would  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  works.     That 
they  were  correct  in  their  judgment  of  the  world  about  them, 
contemporary  history  proves  abundantly.     That  they  were 
correct,  likewise,  in  believing  that  some  fearful  judgment 
was  about  to  fall  on  man,  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  it  did 
fall ;  that  the  first  half  of  the  fifth  century  saw,  not  only  the 
sack  of  Rome,  but   the   conquest  and   desolation   of  the 
greater  part  of  the  civilized  world,  amid  bloodshed,  misery, 
and  misrule,  which  seemed  to  turn  Europe  into  a  chaos, 
which  would  have  turned  it  into  a  chaos,  had  there  not  been 
a  few  men  left  who  still  felt  it  possible  and  necessary  to 


*- 


* — * 

January  2.]  S.     MdCCiriuS.  33 

believe  in  God,  and  to  work  righteousness.  Under  these 
terrible  forebodings,  men  began  to  flee  from  a  doomed 
world,  and  try  to  be  alone  with  God,  if  by  any  means  they 
might  save  each  man  his  own  soul  in  that  dread  day."1 

S.  Macarius,  of  Alexandria,  and  his  namesake,  the  Egyp- 
tian, lived  much  together.  They  were  both  exiled  in  375, 
at  the  instigation  of  the  Arian  patriarch  of  Alexandria,  who 
dreaded  their  influence  over  the  people,  and  zeal  for  the 
orthodox  faith.  They  crossed  the  Nile  together  in  a  ferry- 
boat, when  they  encountered  two  military  tribunes,  accompa- 
nied by  a  great  array  of  horses,  with  decorated  bridles,  of 
equipages,  soldiers,  and  pages  covered  with  ornaments.  The 
officers  looked  long  at  the  two  monks  in  their  old  dresses, 
humbly  seated  in  a  corner  of  the  bark.  They  might  well 
look  at  them,  for  in  that  bark  two  worlds  stood  face  to  face ; 
old  Rome,  degraded  by  the  emperors,  and  the  new  Christian 
republic,  of  which  the  monks  were  the  precursors.  As  they 
approached  the  shore,  one  of  the  tribunes  said  to  the  ceno- 
bites,  "  You  are  happy,  for  you  despise  the  world."  "  It  is 
true,"  answered  the  Alexandrine,  "  we  despise  the  world,  and 
the  world  despises  you.  You  have  spoken  more  truly 
than  you  intended;  we  are  happy  in  fact,  and  happy  in 
name,  for  we  are  called  Macarius,  which  means  in  Greek 
happy." 

The  tribune  made  no  answer,  but,  returning  to  his  house, 
renounced  all  his  wealth  and  rank,  and  went  to  seek  hap- 
piness in  solitude. 

In  art,  S.  Macarius  is  represented  with  wallets  of  sand 
on  his  shoulders ;  sometimes  with  a  hysena  and  its  young, 
because  the  story  is  told  that  one  day  a  hysena  brought  her 
young  one  and  laid  it  at  the  feet  of  the  hermit.  He  looked 
at  the  animal,  and  saw  that  it  was  blind,  therefore  he  pitied 
the  poor  whelp,  and  prayed  to  God ;  then  he  touched  the  eyes 

1  Kingsley,  The  Hermits,  p.  4,  6. 
VOL.    I. 

*— . ! * 


►J, —Jj, 

34  LlVeS  Of  the   SaintS.  [January  2. 


of  the  young  hyaena,  and  it  saw  plain.  Next  day,  the  mother 
brought  a  sheep-skin  and  laid  it  at  his  feet,  and  this  the  hermit 
wore  continually  afterwards,  till  he  gave  it  to  S.  Melania. 


S.  ADALHARDT,  OR  ADELARD,  AB.  C 
(a.d.  826.) 

[Named  in  many  later  Western  Martyrologies,  but  not  enrolled  in  the 
Roman  Kalendar.  He  is  variously  called  Adelhard,  Adalarch,  Alard,  and 
Adelrhad.  His  life  was  written  by  S.  Paschasius  Radbertus,  his  disciple, 
and  this  was  epitomized  by  S.  Gerard,  of  Sauve-Majeur,  in  the  nth 
century.  Paschasius  says  that  the  reason  of  his  writing  the  life,  was  "  to 
recall  him  whom  almost  the  whole  world  regards  as  holy  and  admirable  ; 
whom  we  have  seen,  and  whose  love  we  enjoyed."] 

Adalhardt  was  of  royal  race,  having  been  the  son  of 
Bernhardt,  son  of  Charles  Martel,  the  brother  of  King  Pepin  ; 
so  that  Adalhardt  was  cousin-german  to  Charlemagne,  by 
whom  he  was  called  to  court  in  his  youth,  and  created  Count 
of  the  Palace.  But  when  the  king  put  away  his  wife,  the 
daughter  of  Desiderius,  King  of  Italy,  to  marry  another, 
Adalhardt  left  the  court,  disgusted  with  its  lawlessness  and 
vice,  and  became  a  monk  at  Corbie,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  in 
the  year  773.  He  was  made  gardener,  and,  as  his  historian 
says,  "With  Mary  he  sought  Jesus  in  the  garden."  At 
Corbie,  he  was  so  frequently  visited  by  his  relations,  his 
friends,  and  acquaintances,  that  he  had  not  sufficient  solitude 
for  the  labour  of  turning  his  soul  from  earth  to  heaven ; 
therefore  he  left  Corbie  and  betook  himself  to  Monte  Cas- 
sino ;  but  by  order  of  the  Emperor  Charles,  he  was  brought 
back  again  to  Corbie,  where  he  was  shortly  after  elected 
abbot  He  was  compelled  at  last,  by  Charlemagne,  to 
quit  the  monastery,  and  take  upon  him  the  charge  of  prime 
minister  to  his  son  Pepin,  to  whom  he  had  intrusted  the 
government  of  Italy. 

* ■ * 


* (J, 

January  2.]  ,5*.  Adalhardt.  35 

On  the  death  of  Charlemagne,  Louis  the  Pious  succeeded 
to  the  throne,  and  dismissed  all  the  old  ministers  and 
officers  of  his  father.  Bernard,  son  of  Pepin,  the  elder 
brother  of  Louis,  who  was  dead,  having  asserted  his  right 
to  the  throne,  King  Louis  suspected  the  abbot  of  Corbie 
of  having  been  privy  to  this  attempt,  and  he  exiled  him  to  the 
island  of  Heri,  or  Herimoutier,  and  his  brothers  and  sisters 
were  sent  into  monasteries.  His  brother  Walla  was  forced 
to  become  a  monk  at  Corbie  ;  Bernharius  was  sent  to  Lerins ; 
his  sister  Gundrada  was  given  to  the  charge  of  S.  Radegund, 
at  Poictiers,  and  only  Theodradra  was  left  unmolested  at 
Soissons. 

Adalhardt  spent  seven  years  in  banishment  at  Herimou- 
tier, and  then  the  king,  having  recognized  his  error,  recalled 
him,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  monks  of  Heri,  to  whom 
his  meekness  and  charity  had  made  him  dear,  and  to 
the  joy  of  those  of  Corbie,  to  whom  he  returned.  He  was 
not,  however,  allowed  to  remain  at  peace  in  his  abbey  at  the 
head  of  his  monks,  but  was  recalled  to  court,  where  the 
king,  whose  disposition  was  much  changed,  followed  his  ad- 
vice in  all  his  undertakings,  and  Adalhardt  was  of  great  use 
to  him,  in  suggesting  improvement  in  the  laws.  At  length, 
in  823,  he  obtained  leave  to  return  to  Corbie,  which  he 
governed  till  his  death.  He  had  an  admirable  memory,  so 
that  he  never  forgot  the  face,  or  name,  or  disposition  of  one 
of  his  monks  ;  and  he  was  careful  to  speak  with  each  of  them 
once  a  week. 

During  the  banishment  of  the  Saint,  another  Adalhardt, 
who  governed  the  monastery  by  his  appointment,  began  the 
foundation  of  another  Corbie,  in  the  diocese  of  Paderborn, 
in  Westphalia,  that  it  might  be  a  nursery  of  missionaries  for 
the  conversion  of  the  northern  nations.  S.  Adalhardt  often 
journeyed  from  one  Corbie  to  the  other,  that  he  might  pro- 
vide for  the  welfare,  and  look  to  the  discipline  of  both  houses. 

* ■ ■ — ■ — & 


* . * 

36  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  2. 

Finding  himself  attacked  with  fever,  and  knowing  that  he 
should  not  recover,  he  used  every  effort  to  reach  the  mother 
house  before  Christmas.  This  he  achieved,  and  there  he 
calmly  prepared  for  his  passage,  communicating  daily.  Hear- 
ing of  his  sickness,  Hildemann,  Bishop  of  Beauvais,  who  had 
been  a  monk  under  him,  hurried  to  his  side,  and  adminis- 
tered to  him  the  Sacrament  of  extreme  unction,  and  scarcely 
left  him.  One  day,  however,  the  bishop  left  the  room  for  a 
moment,  and,  on  his  return,  saw  the  sick  man  in  great  trans- 
port. The  Abbot  exclaimed,  "  Hither  speedily,  Bishop,  I 
urge  you,  and  kiss  the  feet  of  Jesus,  my  Lord,  for  He  is  at  my 
side."  Then  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais  trembled  with  awe,  and 
stood  still,  not  knowing  what  to  say  or  do.  But  Adalhardt 
said  no  more.  On  the  Octave  of  the  Nativity,  he  called  to- 
gether the  brethren,  and  having  received  the  Body  and  Blood 
of  Christ,  he  said  to  the  assembled  monks,  "  O  my  sons,  the 
fruit  of  my  old  age  in  the  Lord  !  I  have  finished  the  number 
of  my  days,  and  to-day  I  shall  depart,  and  go  the  way  of  all 
flesh,  and  appear  in  the  presence  of  my  Redeemer.  I  have 
finished  the  course  of  my  struggle,  and  what  reward  I  shall 
receive,  I  know  not.  But  help  me,  I  pray,  that  I  in  you,  and 
you  in  me,  may  rejoice  in  the  Lord."  Thus  saying,  he  sur- 
rendered his  pure  soul  to  Him  who  made  it.  He  was 
buried  at  the  foot  of  the  chancel  steps  in  the  Church  of 
S.  Peter,  at  Corbie;  but  in  the  year  1040  the  body  was 
taken  up  and  enshrined. 

S.  SILVESTER,  OF  TRANI,  MONK. 

(a.d.  1 185.) 

[S.  Silvester,  monk  of  Trani,  near  Barletta,  in  South  Italy,  is  held  there  in 
great  reverence,  and  commemorated  on  the  2nd  Jan.  and  2nd  May.] 

Saint  Silvester,  of  whom  nothing  authentic  is  known,  is 
traditionally   said    to   have  been  a  monk  of  the  order  of 

4f * 


January  2.] 


S.  Silvester. 


37 


S.  Basil,  in  the  convent  of  S.  Michael,  at  Bari.  Various 
miracles  are  attributed  to  him,  as  his  having  gone  one 
winter  day  to  Catania  and  back  on  foot.  He  is  also  said 
to  have  entered  a  baker's  furnace  to  scrape  the  living  embers 
together  for  him,  when  he  had  lost  his  shovel,  and  to  have 
come  forth  unhurt. 


L: 

Oblation 


of  an  Infant  to  a  Religious  Community.      After  a   Miniature  in  the 
Burgundy  Library  at  Brussels. 


*- 


-* 


r\   r\    0 


38  Lives  Of  the   SaintS.  [January  3 


January  3. 
€ijt  <©rtaue  of  <§.  3fo0n,  tijt  4EtoangtIf0L 

S.  Anteros,  Pope  and  M.,  at  Rome,  a.d.  236. 

S.  Florentius,  B.M.,  at  Vienne,  in  France,  circ.  A.D.  258. 

SS.  Zosimus  and  Athanasius,  MM.,  in  Cilicia,  circ.  A.D.  290. 

S.  Peter  Balsam,  M.,  at  Aulane  in  Palestine,  a.d.  291. 

S.  Gordius,  M.,  at  Ceesarea,  circ.  A.D.  320. 

SS.  Theognis,  Primus,  and  Cvrinus,  MM.,  arc.  a.d.  32a. 

S.  Melor,  M.,  in  Cornwall,  circ.  a.d.  544- 

S.  Genoveva,  V.,  at  Paris,  a.d.  512. 

S.  Bertilia,  V.,  at  Marolles,  A.D.  687. 

S.   ANTEROS,    P.  M. 

(a.d.  236.) 

[Commemorated  in  the  Roman  Martyrology,  and  in  that  attributed  to 
Bede,  that  of  Usuardus,  &c.] 

1AINT  ANTEROS  succeeded  S.  Pontianus  as 
Bishop  of  Rome  in  235.  He  instituted  the 
office  of  notaries  in  the  Church,  to  take  down  the 
sayings   and   sufferings  of  the   martyrs,  so  that 

faithful  records  of  their  acts  might  be  preserved.     He  died, 

June  t  8th,  a.d.  236. 


SS.    ZOSIMUS   AND   ATHANASIUS,   MM. 
(ap.out  a.d.  290.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  Greek  Menoea.  The  Greeks  keep  their 
commemoration,  however,  on  Jan.  4th.  The  authority  for  the  following 
account  is  the  Greek  Menoea.] 

These  martyrs  suffered  under  Diocletian,  in  Cilicia. 
S.  Zosimus  was  a  hermit.  His  ears  were  burnt  off  with 
red  hot  irons,  afterwards  he  was  plunged  into  a  vessel  of 

* 


January  3-1  6".  Peter  Balsam.  3  9 

molten  lead,  and  was  then  dismissed.  He  returned  to  his 
desert,  converted  and  baptized  Athanasius,  and  died  in  his 
cell. 


S.  PETER  BALSAM,  M. 
(a.d.  291.) 

[Commemorated  in  most  Latin  Martyrologies,  and  in  the  Greek  Mensea 
on  the  1 2th  Jan.  He  is  mentioned  as  Peter  the  Ascetic,  by  Eusebius  ;  his 
genuine  Acts  are  given  in  Ruinart.] 

Eusebius,  in  his  account  of  the  martyrs  of  Palestine,  ap- 
pended to  the  8th  book  of  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  says : — 
"  On  the  eleventh  of  the  month  Audynoeus,  i.e.,  on  the  third 
of  the  ides  of  January  (nth  Jan.),  in  the  same  city  of 
Csesarea,  Peter  the  Ascetic,  also  called  Absolom,  from  the 
village  of  Anea,  on  the  borders  of  Eleutheropolis,  like  the 
purest  gold,  with  a  good  resolution,  gave  proof  of  his  faith  in 
the  Christ  of  God.  Disregarding  both  the  judge  and  those 
around  him,  that  besought  him  in  many  ways  to  have  com- 
passion on  himself,  and  to  spare  his  youth  and  blooming 
years,  he  preferred  his  hope  in  the  Supreme  God  of  all,  and 
even  to  life  itself." 

The  name  of  this  Saint  seems  to  have  been  Peter  Abso- 
lom ;  the  latter  appellation  has  been  corrupted  into  Apselm, 
Anselm,  and  Balsam.  The  acts  of  his  martrydom  are 
authentic.     They  are  as  follows  : — 

At  that  time  Peter,  called  Balsam,  was  captured  at 
Aulane,  in  the  time  of  persecution.  He  came  from  the  bor- 
ders of  Eleutheropolis,  and  was  brought  before  the 
governor,  Severus,  who  said  to  him,  "  What  is  your  name  ?" 
Peter  answered,  "  I  am  called  by  my  paternal  name  of 
Balsam,  but  in  baptism  I  received  my  spiritual  name  of 
Peter."  The  Governor,  "To  what  family  do  you  belong?" 
Peter,  "I  am  a  Christian."     The  Governor,  "What  office 

4, — * 


*— — _ % 

40  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  3. 

do  you  bear?"  Peter,  "What  office  can  be  more  honour- 
able than  to  live  a  Christian  ?"  The  Governor,  "  Have  you 
any  parents?"  Peter,  "I  have  none."  The  Governor, 
"  There  you  lie,  for  I  have  heard  that  you  have."  Peter, 
"In  the  Gospel  I  am  commanded  to  renounce  all  things 
when  I  come  to  confess  Christ"  The  Governor,  "Do 
you  know  the  imperial  edicts  ?"  Peter,  "  I  know  the 
laws  of  God,  the  Sovereign  true  and  everlasting."  The 
Governor,  "  It  is  commanded  by  the  most  clement  emperors 
that  all  Christians  shall  either  sacrifice,  or  be  executed  in 
various  ways."  Peter,  "And  this  is  the  command  of  the 
everlasting  King.  If  thou  sacrifice  to  any  demon,  and  not 
to  God  alone,  thou  shalt  be  plucked  out  of  the  Book  of  the 
Living.  Judge  thou  which  I  shall  obey."  The  Governor, 
"  Come,  listen  to  me,  sacrifice  and  obey  the  law."  Peter. 
"I  will  not  sacrifice  to  gods  made  by  men's  hards 
of  wood  and  stone."  And  he  poured  forth  a  vehement 
invective  against  idolatry.  The  governor  ordered  him  to 
the  rack,  and  when  he  was  slung  to  it,  he  said,  "  Well, 
Peter,  what  say  you  to  this?  How  do  you  like  your  swing?" 
Peter  said,  "  Bring  the  iron  hooks ;  I  have  already  told  thee 
that  I  will  not  sacrifice  to  devils,  but  to  God  alone,  for 
whom  1  suffer."  The  governor  ordered  him  to  be  tortured. 
And  when  the  stress  of  torment  was  very  great,  the  martyr 
uttered  no  cry  of  pain,  but  sang,  "  One  thing  have  I  desired 
of  the  Lord,  which  I  will  require  :  even  that  I  may  dwell  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life,  to  behold  the 
fair  beauty  of  the  Lord,  and  to  visit  His  temple.  What  re- 
ward shall  I  give  unto  the  Lord  for  all  the  benefits  that  He 
hath  done  unto  me?  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation, 
and  call  upon  the  Name  of  the  Lord."  As  he  thus  spake, 
the  governor  ordered  other  executioners  to  come  to  the 
work,  being  much  exasperated.  And  the  crowd  standing 
by,  when  they  saw  much  blood  run  over  the  pavement, 

*— -* 


January  3.]  S.   Peter  Balsam.  41 

lamented,  and  urged  him,  saying,  "  O  man,  compassionate 
thyself,  and  sacrifice,  that  thou  mayest  escape  these  dreadful 
pains."  But  the  holy  man  of  God  answered  them,  "  These 
pains  are  nothing,  and  give  me  no  suffering ;  but  were  I  to 
deny  the  name  of  my  God,  I  know  that  I  should  fall  into 
greater  torments,  which  would  last  eternally."  The  Governor 
said,  "You  had  better  sacrifice,  or  you  will  repent  it." 
"  No,"  answered  Peter ;  "  I  will  not  sacrifice,  and  I  shall  not 
repent  it."  The  Governor  said,  "Well,  then  I  shall  pro- 
nounce sentence."  "That,"  said  Peter,  "is  what  I  most 
ardently  desire." 

Then  the  governor  gave  sentence  in  these  words,  "  I 
command  Peter,  continuously  despising  the  commands  of  the 
unconquered  emperors,  to  suffer  the  death  of  the  cross." 

Thus,  the  venerable  athlete  of  Christ,  fulfilling  his  agony, 
was  found  worthy  to  participate  in  the  Passion  of  his  Lord. 
And  he  suffered  at  Aulane,  on  the  third  of  the  nones  of 
January  (Jan.  3rd,)  under  Maximian,  the  emperor. 

This  account  is  somewhat  abbreviated  from  the  Acts. 
There  is  some  little  discrepancy  between  it  and  that  of 
Eusebius.  The  ecclesiastical  historian  says  he  was  executed 
at  Csesarea ;  the  Acts  say  at  Aulane ;  but  as  this  was  an 
insignificant  village  in  the  district  over  which  the  governor 
of  Caesarea  held  jurisdiction,  the  discrepancy  is  only  ap- 
parent. Eusebius  says  he  suffered  on  the  third  of  the  ides ; 
the  Acts,  that  he  suffered  on  the  third  of  the  nones.  It  is 
probable  that  Eusebius  is  right,  for  the  Greeks  observe  the 
martyrdom  of  S.  Peter  Balsam  on  the  12th  Jan.,  and 
in  the  Martyrology,  attributed  to  S.  Jerome,  the  passion  of 
this  Saint  is  given  as  occurring  on  the  third  of  the  ides, 
nth  Jan. 


% — * 


*■ 


-* 


42  Lives  of  the  Saints.  I  January  3. 


S.  GORDIUS  M. 
(about  320.) 

[Commemorated  by  the  Roman  Martyrology  and  the  Greek  Mensea  on 
the  same  day.  The  account  of  his  passion  is  given  by  S.  Basil  the  Great  in 
a  panegyric  at  Caesarea,  on  the  anniversary  of  his  martyrdom,  which  he 
says  was  then  recent.  This  account,  given  on  the  scene  of  his  suffering, 
within  the  memory  of  man,  so  that  some  of  those  who  heard  the  dis- 
course of  S.  Basil,  had  seen  the  conflict  of  the  martyr,  is  unquestionably 
trustworthy.] 

Saint  Gordius  was  a  native  of  Caesarea,  in  Cappadocia, 

and  was  a  centurion  in  the  army.    When  Galerius  issued  his 

edicts  against  the  Church  in  the  East  (303,)  Gordius  laid 

aside  his  office,  and  retired  into  the  desert,  where  he  lived  in 

fasting  and  prayer  amongst  the  wild  beasts.     In  the  desert 

he  spent  many  years,  but  his   zeal   for   Christ  gave  him 

no  rest.     The  churches  in  Csesarea  had  been    destroyed. 

the  clergy  scattered,  and  many  Christians  had  conformed, 

rather  than  lose  their  lives.    It  was  a  heathen  city  once  more, 

and  such  salt  as  had  remained  had  lost  its  savour.     The 

spirit  of  the  Lord  stirred  in  the  soul  of  Gordius,  and  urged 

him  to  return  to  his  native  city,  and  there  play  the  man  for 

Christ,  where  so  many  had  fallen  away  from  the  faith.    "  One 

day  that  the  amphitheatre  was  crowded  to  see  horse  and 

chariot  races  in  honour   of  Mars,  the  god  of  war,  when 

the  benches  were  thronged,  and  Jew  and  Gentile,  and  many  a 

Christian  also,"  says  S.  Basil,  "  was  present  at  the  spectacle, 

and  all  the  slaves  were  free  to  see  the  sight,  and  the  boys 

had  been  given  holiday  from  school  for  the  same  purpose, 

suddenly,  in  the  race-course,  appeared  a  man  in  rags,  with 

long  beard  and  matted  locks ;  his  face  and  arms  burned  with 

exposure  to  the  sun,  and  shrivelled  with  long  fasting;  and 

he  cried  aloud,  "I  am  found  of  them  who  sought  me  not,  and 

to  them  who  asked  not  after  me,  have  I  manifested  myself 

openly." 


*- 


-* 


January  3.]  ,£     GordiuS.  43 

Every  eye  was  directed  upon  this  wild-looking  man,  and 
when  it  was  discovered  who  he  was,  there  rose  a  shout  from 
Gentile  and  Christian ;  the  latter  cried  because  they 
rejoiced  to  see  the  faithful  centurion  in  the  midst  of  them 
again ;  the  former,  because  they  hated  the  truth,  and  were 
wrath  at  the  disturbance  of  the  sports. 

"  Then,"  continues  S.  Basil,  "  the  clamour  and  tumult  be- 
came more,  and  filled  the  whole  amphitheatre;  horses, 
chariots,  and  drivers  were  forgotten.  In  vain  did  the  rush  of 
wheels  fill  the  air;  none  had  eyes  for  anything  but  Gordius ; 
none  had  ears  to  hear  anything  but  the  words  of  Gordius. 
The  roar  of  the  theatre,  like  a  wind  rushing  through  the  air, 
drowned  the  noise  of  the  racing  horses.  When  the  crier  had 
made  silence,  and  all  the  pipes  and  trumpets,  and  other 
musical  instruments  were  hushed,  Gordius  was  led  before 
the  seat  of  the  governor,  who  was  present,  and  was  asked, 
blandly,  who  he  was  and  whence  he  came.  Then  he  related, 
in  order,  what  was  his  country,  and  family,  and  the  rank  he 
had  held,  and  why  he  had  thrown  up  his  office  and  fled  away. 
i  I  am  returned/  said  he,  'to  shew  openly  that  I  care  naught 
for  your  edicts,  but  that  I  place  my  hope  and  confidence  in 
Jesus  Christ  alone.'"  The  governor,  being  exceedingly 
exasperated  at  the  interruption  in  the  sports,  and  the  open 
defiance  cast  in  his  face  by  a  deserter,  before  the  whole  city, 
ordered  him  at  once  to  be  tortured.  "  Then,"  S.  Basil  pro- 
ceeds to  relate  in  his  graphic  style,  "the  whole  crowd 
poured  from  the  theatre  towards  the  place  of  judgment,  and 
all  those  who  had  remained  behind  in  the  city  ran  to  see  the 
sight  The  city  was  deserted.  Like  a  great  river,  the  in- 
habitants rolled  to  the  place  of  martyrdom;  mothers  of 
families,  noble  and  ignoble,  pushed  there ;  houses  were  left 
unprotected,  shops  were  deserted  by  the  customers,  and 
in  the  market-place  goods  lay  here  and  there  neglected. 
Servants  threw  up  their  occupations,  and  ran  off  to  see  the 


*- 


*- 


44  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  3. 

spectacle,  and  all  the  rabble  was  there  to  see  this  man. 
Maidens  forgot  their  bashfulness  and  shame  of  appearing 
before  men,  and  sick  people  and  old  men  crawled  without 
the  walls,  that  they,  too,  might  shore  the  sight."  The 
relations  of  Gordius,  in  vain,  urged  him  to  yield  and  apolo- 
gise for  his  defiance  of  the  state  religion ;  signing  himself 
with  the  cross,  he  cheerfully  underwent  the  torments  of 
leaded  scourges,  of  the  little  horse,  fire,  and  knife,  and 
was  finally  beheaded. 


SS.  THEOGNIS,  PRIMUS,  AND  CYRINUS,  MM. 
(about  a.d.  320.) 

[The  Martyrologies  of  S.  Jerome,  Bede,  Usuardus,  &c.  Commemo- 
rated in  the  Roman  Martyrology  on  this  day  ;  in  the  Greek  Menoea  on 
the  2nd  Jan.  Theognis,  especially,  is  famous  throughout  East  and 
West.  The  account  in  the  Mensea  and  Menology  is  probably  trust- 
worthy. The  Acts  published  by  the  Bollandists  are  of  doubtful  authority.] 

Theognis  was  the  son  of  the  Bishop  of  Cyzicus,  in 
Hellespont.  In  the  persecution  of  Licinius,  he  and  his  com- 
panions suffered  at  Cyzicus,  being  first  scourged,  and  then 
cast  into  the  sea. 


S.    MELOR,    M. 
(about  a.d.  544.) 

[English  Martyrologies  on  this  day,  though  he  died  on  Oct.  1st,  on 
which  day  he  is  mentioned  in  Usuardus.  His  life  in  Capgrave  is  of  no 
historical  value— a  composition  of  the  nth  cent,  "incertum"  even  to 
William  of  Malmesbury.  ] 

When  first  Christianity  penetrated  Britain,  a  great  number 
of  Saints  existed,  especially  in  Wales  and  Brittany.  At 
this  time  there  was  a  duke,  or  prince,  in  Brittany,  named 
Meliau,  whose  brother-in-law,  Rivold,  revolted  against  him, 

4, (j, 


January  3.]  S.     MeloT.  45 

and  put  him  to  death.  Meliau  left  a  son,  Melor,  and  the 
usurper  only  spared  his  life  at  the  intercession  of  the 
bishops  and  clergy.  He,  however,  cut  off  his  right  hand 
and  left  foot,  and  sent  him  into  one  of  the  local  monasteries 
to  be  brought  up. 

The  legend  goes  on  to  relate  that  the  boy  was  provided 
with  a  silver  hand  and  a  brazen  foot,  and  that  one  day,  when 
he  was  aged  fourteen,  he  and  the  abbot  were  nutting  to- 
gether in  a  wood,  when  the  abbot  saw  the  boy  use  his  silver 
hand  to  clasp  the  boughs  and  pick  the  nuts,  just  as  though 
it  were  of  flesh  and  blood.  Also,  that  one  day  he  threw  a 
stone,  which  sank  into  the  earth,  and  from  the  spot  gushed 
forth  a  fountain  of  pure  water. 

Rivold,  fearing  lest  the  boy  should  depose  him,  bribed 
his  guardian,  Cerialtan,  to  murder  him.  This  Cerialtan  per- 
formed. He  cut  off  the  head  of  Melor,  and  carried  it  to  the 
duke;  but  angels  with  lights  stood  around  the  body  and 
guarded  it. 

On  his  way  to  the  duke,  Cerialtan  was  parched  with  thirst, 
and  exclaimed,  "  Wretched  man  that  I  am  !  I  am  dying  for 
a  drop  of  water."  Then  the  head  of  the  murdered  boy  said, 
"  Cerialtan,  strike  the  ground  with  thy  rod,  and  a  fountain 
will  spring  up."  He  did  so,  and  quenched  his  thirst  at  the 
miraculous  well,  and  pursued  his  way.  When  Rivold  saw 
the  head,  he  touched  it,  and  instantly  sickened,  and  died 
three  days  after.  The  head  was  then  taken  back  to  the 
body,  and  was  buried  with  it.  But  the  relics  were  afterwards 
taken  to  Amesbury,  in  Wiltshire. 

It  must  be  remembered,  in  reading  the  legends  of  the 
British  and  Irish  Saints  of  the  first  period,  that  we  have 
nothing  like  contemporary  histories  of  their  lives,  and  that 
these  legends  were  committed  to  writing  many  hundreds  of 
years  after  their  death,  so  that  the  original  facts  became  sur- 
rounded  with  an   accretion   of  fable   so   dense    that  it  is 

* .. « 


-* 


46  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [.January  3. 

impossible    to    distinguish    truth    from    falsehood    in    the 
legends  as  they  have  reached  us. 


S.  GENOVEVA,  V. 
(a.d.  512.) 

[S.  Genoveva  is  mentioned  in  almost  all  the  Latin  Martyrologies.  Her 
life  was  written  by  an  anonymous  learned  man,  in  the  reign  of  Childebert, 
about  eighteen  years  after  her  death.  Three  ancient  lives  exist,  but  whethei 
one  of  these  is  that  then  composed,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  ] 

The  blessed  Genoveva  was  born  at  Nanterre,  near  Mont 
Valerien,  on  the  outskirts  of  Paris.  Her  father's  name  was 
Severus ;  that  of  her  mother  was  Gerontia.  When  S.  Ger- 
manus,  Bishop  of  Auxerre,  was  on  his  way  to  Britain,  to 
oppose  the  heresy  of  Pelagius,  with  his  companion,  S.  Lupus, 
they  passed  through  Nanterre.  The  people  went  out  to  meet 
him,  and  receive  the  benedictions;  men,  and  women,  and 
children  in  companies.  Amongst  the  children,  S.  Germanus 
observed  Genoveva,  and  bade  her  be  brought  before  him. 
The  venerable  bishop  kissed  the  child,  and  asked  her 
name.  The  surrounding  people  told  him,  and  the  parents 
coming  up,  S.  Germanus  said  to  them,  "  Is  this  little  girl  your 
child?"  They  answered  in  the  affirmative.  "Then,"  said 
the  bishop,  "happy  are  ye  in  having  so  blessed  a  child. 
She  will  be  great  before  God;  and,  moved  by  her  example, 
many  will  decline  from  evil  and  incline  to  that  which  is 
good,  and  will  obtain  remission  of  their  sins,  and  the  reward 
of  life  from  Christ  the  Lord." 

And  then,  after  a  pause,  he  said  to  Genoveva,  "  My 
daughter,  Genoveva  !"  She  answered,  "  Thy  little  maiden 
listens."  Then  he  said,  "  Do  not  fear  to  tell  me  whether  it 
be  not  thy  desire  to  dedicate  thy  body,  clean  and  untouched, 

* ■ $ 


% _ £t 

January  3.]  S.     GetlOVeVCl.  47 

to  Christ,  as  His  bride  ?"  She  said,  "  Blessed  be  thou, 
father,  for  thou  hast  spoken  my  desire.  I  pray  God 
earnestly  that  He  will  grant  it  me." 

"  Have  confidence,  my  daughter,"  said  S.  Germain  ;  "  be 
of  good  courage,  and  what  thou  believest  in  thy  heart,  and 
confessest  with  thy  lips,  perform  in  work.  God  will  add  to 
thy  comeliness  virtue  and  fortitude." 

Then  they  went  to  the  church,  and  sang  Nones  and 
Vespers,  and  throughout  the  office  the  bishop  held  his  hand 
on  the  little  maiden's  head.  And  that  evening,  after  supper 
had  been  eaten,  and  they  had  sung  a  hymn,  S.  Germain  bade 
Severus  retire  with  his  daughter,  but  bring  her  to  him  very 
early  in  the  morning  again.  So  when  the  day  broke,  Severus 
came  back  bringing  the  child,  and  the  old  bishop  smiled, 
and  said,  "  Hail,  my  daughter  Genoveva.  Dost  thou  recall 
the  promise  thou  didst  make  yesterday,  about  keeping  thy 
body  in  integrity?"  She  answered,  "I  remember  what  I 
promised  to  thee,  my  father,  and  to  God,  that  with  His  help 
I  would  preserve  the  chastity  of  my  mind,  and  the  integrity 
of  my  body,  unto  the  end." 

Then  S.  Germain  picked  up  from  the  ground  a  little 
brass  coin  with  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  it,  which  he  had 
observed  lying  there  whilst  he  was  speaking,  and  gave  it  her, 
saying,  "  Bore  a  hole  in  this,  and  wear  it  round  thy  neck  in 
remembrance  of  me,  and  let  not  any  other  metal  ornament, 
gold  or  silver,  or  pearls,  adorn  thy  neck  or  fingers."  Then 
he  bade  her  farewell,  commending  her  to  the  care  of  her 
father,  and  pursued  his  journey. 

It  has  been  supposed  by  some  that  the  command  of 
S.  Germain  not  to  wear  gold,  &c,  indicates  that  she  was  of 
wealthy  parents,  and  they  are  disposed  to  doubt  the  common 
tradition  of  the  place,  and  the  ancient  Breviary,  which  says 
that  she  kept  sheep  for  her  father  on  the  slopes  of  Valerien 
at    Nanterre.     But  there  need  be  no  difficulty  upon  this 

& — — — * 


% — ft 

48  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

point,  for  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men  of  some  position,  at 
that  period,  were  thus  employed,  and  there  was  not  supposed 
to  be  anything  demeaning  in  the  office.  Thus,  S.  Cuthbert, 
though  of  noble  race,  kept  sheep  od  the  Northumbrian 
moors. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  she  was  presented  to  the  Bishop  of 
Paris,  to  be  consecrated  to  the  religious  life.  With  her  were 
two  othei  virgins,  and  though  she  was  the  youngest  of  the 
three,  the  bishop,  moved  by  some  interior  inspiration, 
placed  her  first,  saying  that  heaven  had  already  sanctified 
her. 

On  the  death  of  her  parents,  she  moved  to  Paris,  where 
she  was  remarked  for  her  sanctity  and  miraculous  powers. 
When  S.  Germain  was  on  his  way  to  Britain  again,  he 
passed  through  Paris,  and  asked  after  Genoveva,  when  cer- 
tain envious  persons  tried  to  poison  his  mind  against 
her;  but  he,  despising  their  slanders,  greeted  her  with 
great  kindness  openly,  so  as  to  testify  before  all  the  people 
how  highly  he  honoured  her,  as  he  had  done  before  at 
Nanterre. 

The  influence  exerted  by  this  holy  woman  must  have  been 
very  great,  for  she  persuaded  the  Parisians  to  remain  in  the 
city,  instead  of  flying  into  the  country,  when  the  hosts 
of  Attila,  King  of  the  Huns,  threatened  it.  Then  Genoveva 
assembled  the  pious  matrons,  and  with  them  fasted,  and 
prayed,  asking  God  incessantly,  with  many  tears,  to  avert  the 
scourge  of  the  Huns  from  the  city. 

A  tumult,  however,  arose ;  many  people  saying  that  she 
was  a  false  prophet,  and  that  she  would  bring  ruin  on  the 
citizens  by  dissuading  them  from  escaping  with  their  goods 
to  places  of  greater  security.  The  mob,  headlong  and  cruel 
— as  a  Parisian  mob  has  ever  been — came  upon  her  to  stone 
her,  or  drown  her  in  the  Seine,  and  they  would  have  carried 
their  ferocious  purpose  into  execution,  had  not  her  ancient 

* — ft 


S.    GKNOVKVA,    Patroness  of  the  City  of  Paris. 
From  Carrier. 


Jan.,  p.  48.] 


.Jan.  3. 


January  3.]  S.     GeilOVeVd.  49 

friend  and  father  in  God,  S.  Germain,  stood  by  her  in  her 
extremity.  He  was  then  dying  at  Auxerre,  and  his  thoughts 
turned  to  the  little  girl  he  had  consecrated  to  God  in  bygone 
years,  in  the  humble  church  of  Nanterre.  Then,  he  bade 
the  archdeacon  take  to  her  the  Eulogce,  or  blessed  bread,1 
in  token  of  love  and  regard. 

The  archdeacon  arrived  when  the  feeble  woman  was  in 
greatest  peril.  He  had  heard  the  prophecy  of  S.  Germain 
of  old ;  and,  running  among  the  people,  he  exhibited  the 
Eulogies  sent  by  the  holy  bishop,  and  told  them  how  highly 
he  had  venerated  her  virtues ;  so  he  appeased  the  multi- 
tude and  dispersed  them. 

The  saying  of  the  Apostle  was  fulfilled,  "  All  men  have 
not  faith ;  but  the  Lord  is  faithful,  who  shall  stablish  you, 
and  keep  you  from  evil  j"  for  by  the  prayers  of  S.  Genoveva 
the  city  was  preserved,  and  the  army  of  Alaric  came  not 
near  it 

S.  Genoveva  lived  on  a  little  barley  bread,  and  a  few 
beans  stewed  in  oil ;  but  after  she  was  aged  fifty,  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  bishop,  she  ate  also  fish,  and  drank  milk. 
Feeling  a  great  reverence  for  S.  Denis,  she  desired  greatly  to 
build  a  church  in  his  honour,  and  she,  one  day,  urged  some 
priests  to  undertake  the  work.  But  they  hesitated,  saying 
that  they  were  not  able  to  do  so;  one  reason  being  that 
there  was  no  means  of  burning  lime.  Then  S.  Genoveva 
said,  "  Go,  and  cross  the  city  bridge,  and  tell  me  what  you 
hear."  The  priests  left  her,  and  as  they  passed  over  the 
bridge,  they  heard  two  swineherds  in  conversation.  One 
said  to  the  other,  "  Whilst  I  was  following  one  of  my  pigs 
the  other  day,  it  led  me  into  the  forest  to  a  large  limekiln." 

1  The  custom  of  blessing  bread  and  distributing  it  amongst  the  faithful,  prevails 
still  in  the  French  Church,  as  may  be  seen  at  any  festival  in  a  church  of  im- 
portance. The  blessed  bread  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Holy  Eucharist.  It 
is  taken  about  the  church  in  baskets,  and  is  a  sort  of  sweet-cake.  This  is  a  relic  of 
the  ancient  Love  Feasts  or  Agapje. 

VOL.    I.  4 


* — * 

f 

50  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  3. 


"That  is  no  marvel,"  answered  the  other,  "for  I  found 
a  sapling  in  the  forest  uprooted  by  the  wind,  and  under  its 
roots  was  an  old  kiln."  On  hearing  this,  the  priests  returned 
and  told  Genoveva  what  the  swineherds  had  said,  and  she 
rejoiced,  and  set  the  Priest  Genes  over  the  work  ;  and  all  the 
citizens,  at  the  instigation  of  S.  Genoveva,  assisted  ;  and  she 
encouraged  the  workmen,  till  the  church  of  S.  Denis  was 
built  and  roofed  in.  This  incident  is  not  a  little  curious,  as 
it  exhibits  the  fall  and  prostration  of  the  arts  at  this  period, 
when,  apparently,  the  science  of  building  was  forgotten,  and 
old  Roman  limekilns  had  to  be  used,  because  the  Gauls, 
owing  to  the  incursions  of  barbarians  and  civil  war,  had  lost 
the  art  of  building  them. 

Childeric,  though  a  heathen,  had  a  great  respect  for  Geno- 
veva, and  was  unable  to  refuse  her,  when  she  requested  him, 
to  spare  the  lives  of  his  prisoners.  On  one  occasion,  when 
he  was  about  to  execute,  outside  the  city,  a  large  number  of 
captives  made  in  war,  he  ordered  the  gates  to  be  closed  be- 
hind him,  lest  Genoveva  should  follow,  and  obtain  pardon  for 
them.  But  when  the  saintly  woman  heard  that  the  blood  of 
so  many  men  was  about  to  flow,  in  a  paroxysm  of  compas- 
sion, she  hurried  through  the  streets,  and  reaching  the  gates, 
put  her  hand  to  them,  and  though  locked  and  barred,  they 
unclosed  at  the  touch  of  charity,  and  she  pursued  the  king  ; 
and,  falling  down  before  him,  would  not  be  comforted  till  she 
had  obtained  pardon  for  all  those  whom  he  had  ordered  to 
be  executed.  After  Paris  was  blockaded  by  the  Franks,  the 
neighbourhood  suffered  greatly  from  famine,  as  the  harvests 
had  been  destroyed  and  the  country  laid  waste.  Genoveva, 
seeing  that  many  died  of  want,  conducted  vessels  to  Arcis, 
and  procuring  sufficient  supplies,  returned  with  them  to  Paris. 

Every  Saturday  night,  Genoveva  was  wont  to  watch  in 
prayer,  that  the  Lord  coming  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  of  His 
day,    might   find   his   servant    watching.     It   fell   out   that 

►i ■ * 


* 


January  j.]  S.     BertiUd.  5  I 

one  stormy  night,  as  the  Sabbath  drew  towards  Sunday 
morn,  and  the  cock  had  crowed,  she  left  her  home  to  betake 
herself  to  the  church  of  S.  Denis,  with  the  virgins  who  were 
her  fellows,  and  the  lantern  that  was  carried  before  her  was 
extinguished  by  a  puff  of  wind ;  then  the  maidens  were 
frightened  at  the  pitch  darkness,  the  howling  of  the  storm,  and 
the  rain,  and  the  road  was  so  muddy  that,  without  a  light, 
they  could  not  pick  their  way.  Then  Genoveva  took  the 
lantern  in  her  hand,  and  the  candle  lighted  of  itself  within ; 
and  holding  it,  she  entered  the  church. 

She  performed  several  pilgrimages  to  the  shrine  of  S. 
Martin,  at  Tours,  in  company  with  those  holy  women 
who  lived  with  her,  and  imitated  her  virtues.  She  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-nine,  probably  in  the  year  512;  but  the 
date  is  not  to  be  ascertained  with  certainty. 

Patroness  of  Paris. 

Relics,  in  the  church  of  S.  Etienne  du  Mont,  at  Paris. 

In  art,  S.  Genoveva  is  represented,  (1),  with  a  devil  blow- 
ing out  her  candle,  and  an  angel  rekindling  it.  Sometimes, 
in  old  sculpture,  the  devil  is  provided  with  a  pair  of  bellows ; 
or,  (2),  she  is  restoring  sight  to  her  mother  with  the  water 
of  the  well  of  Nanterre;  or,  (3),  guarding  her  father's  sheep; 
or,  (4),  with  the  keys  of  Paris  at  her  girdle,  as  patroness 
of  the  city ;  or,  (5),  holding  bread  in  her  lap ;  or,  (6), 
with  the  well  of  Nanterre  at  her  side. 


S.   BERTILIA,  V. 
(a.d.  687.) 

[Belgian  and  Gallo-Belgian  Martyrologies.     The  life  is  from  a  MS. 
at  Marolles,  of  uncertain  date,  but  apparently  authentic] 

Saint  Bertilia  was  born  of  noble  parents.    From  an  early 
age  her  heart  turned  to  the  service  of  God  alone,  and  she 

* ■ ^ 


t£ — * 

52  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

delighted  in  attending  the  offices  of  religion.  A  youth  of  noble 
blood,  named  Guthland,  sought  her  hand  in  marriage,  for  she 
was  very  beautiful,  gentle  in  speech,  and  modest  in  manner. 
But  Bertilia  refused  him,  desiring  to  retire  into  a  solitary 
place ;  however,  when  her  parents  urged  her  vehemently, 
she  gave  a  reluctant  consent  to  their  wishes,  and  was 
married.  Nevertheless,  at  her  desire,  the  young  husband 
and  she  lived  together  in  all  chastity,  as  brother  and  sister, 
serving  the  poor,  and  given  to  hospitality.  On  the  death  of 
her  husband,  she  divided  his  goods  with  the  Church,  and 
built  a  great  church  at  Marolles,  with  a  little  cell  adjoining 
it  for  her  habitation.  One  night,  after  long  protracted  prayer 
in  the  church,  she  returned  to  her  cell,  where  she  was  seized 
with  excruciating  pains  ;  nevertheless,  she  knelt  down  and 
prayed  with  fervour,  and  prepared  her  soul  for  its  departure. 
After  having  received  the  last  Sacraments,  she  fell  asleep 
in  Christ,  and  was  buried  in  the  church  she  had  built  at 
Marolles.  She  was  taken  up  and  enshrined  by  Gerard  II., 
Bishop  of  Cambray,  on  September  14th,  1081 ;  and  translated 
to  another  shrine  on  the  8th  October,  1221. 

Patroness  of  Marolles,  in  the  diocese  of  Cambray. 

Relics  at  Marolles. 


* * 


4, * 

January  4.]  S.      TttUS.  53 


January  4. 

©ctafoe  of  tfje  p?olg  Innocents. 

S.  Titus,  B.  and  Ap.  of  Crete,  cire.  a.d.  105. 

SS.  Aquilinus,  Geminus,  Eugenius,  and  Others,  Martyrs  in  Africa. 

S.  Dafrosa,  W.  C,  at  Rome,  a.d.  361. 

S.  Rumon,  B.  C,  at  Tavistock,  in  Devonshire. 

S.  Gregory,  B.  of  Lang-res,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  541. 

S.  Pharaildis,  V.,  in  Brabant,  about  a.d.  745. 

S.  Rigobert,  B.  of  Rheims,  a.d.  749. 

S.  Libentius,  Abp.  of  Bremen,  a.d.  1013. 

B.  Angela,  of  Foligni,  in  Umbria,  a.d.  1309. 

S.  TITUS,  B. 
(about  105.) 

[S.  Titus  is  commemorated  on  this  day  in  the  Roman,  and  all  the  Latin 
Martyrologies.  But  the  Greeks  observe  the  feast  of  S.  Titus  on  August 
25th.  Much  of  his  history  can  be  gathered  from  the  first  and  second 
epistles  of  S.  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  and  from  his  epistle  to  S.  Titus  ; 
also  from  the  Greek  Menologium,  and  his  life,  written  by  Zenas,  the  lawyer, 
in  the  Menaea  ;  and  that  by  Peter  de  Natalibus,  compiled  from  Greek 
sources.] 

[AINT    TITUS   was    born   of    Gentile   parents, 

being  descended  from  the  ancient  royal  family 

of  Crete.1     He  was  a  favourite  companion  of 

S.  Paul,  who  calls  him  his  son  in  Christ.     His 

virtue   gained  him  the  particular  esteem  of  this  Apostle ; 

for  we   find  him   employed    as   secretary   and   interpreter 

by  S.   Paul  ;    and   the   Apostle    styles   him    his   brother.2 

On  one  occasion,  when  much  depressed,  he  was  consoled 

by  the  presence  of  Titus  :  "  God,  that  comforteth  those  that 

are  cast  down,  comforted   us   by  the  coming   of  Titus  ;"3 

and  he  testified,  on  another  occasion,  that  he  found  no  rest 

in  his  spirit,  because  at  Troas  he  had  not  met  Titus.4 

1  Peter  de  Nat.             »  2  Cor.  xii.  16.              »  2  Cor.  vii.  6.              *  2  Cor.  xi.  13. 
* . * 


54  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rjanuar,  4. 

In  the  year  51,  Titus  accompanied  S.  Paul  to  the  Council 
that  was  held  at  Jerusalem,  on  the  subject  of  the  Mosaic 
rites.  Though  the  Apostle  had  consented  to  the  circum- 
cision of  Timothy,  in  order  to  render  his  ministry  more 
acceptable  among  the  Jews,  he  would  not  allow  the  same  in 
the  case  of  Titus,  apprehensive  of  giving  thereby  a  sanction 
to  the  faction  which  held  to  the  necessity  of  combining  the 
rites  of  the  Law  with  the  Sacraments  of  the  Gospel. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  56,  S.  Paul  sent  Titus  from 
Ephesus  to  Corinth,  with  full  commission  to  remedy  several 
subjects  of  scandal,  and  to  allay  the  dissensions  in  that 
Church.  He  was  there  received  with  great  respect,  and  was 
satisfied  with  the  penance  and  submission  of  the  offenders  ; 
but  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  accept  from  them  any 
present,  not  even  so  much  as  his  own  maintenance.  His 
love  for  that  Church  was  very  great,  and  at  the  request  oi 
the  Corinthians,  he  interceded  with  S.  Paul  for  the  pardon 
of  the  incestuous  man  whom  he  had  excommunicated.  He 
was  sent  the  same  year  by  the  Apostle,  a  second  time,  to 
Corinth,  to  bring  the  alms  of  that  Church  to  Jerusalem,  for 
the  relief  of  the  necessity  of  the  poor  Christians  there. 
All  these  particulars  we  learn  from  S.  Paul's  two  epistles  to 
the  Corinthians. 

S.  Paul,  after  his  first  imprisonment,  returning  from  Rome 
into  the  East,  made  some  stay  in  the  island  of  Crete,  of 
which  Rustilius,  the  governor,  was  married  to  the  sister  of 
S.  Titus.  He  consecrated  his  beloved  disciple,  Titus,  to  be 
bishop  of  that  island,  and  left  him  there  to  finish  the  work 
he  had  begun.1  "  We  may  form  a  judgment,"  says  S.  Chry- 
sostom,  "  from  the  importance  of  the  charge,  how  great  was 
the  esteem  of  S.  Paul  for  his  disciple."2     But  the  Apostle, 

1  Zcnas  and  Peter  de  Nat.  The  latter  does  not  say  that  S.  Paul  visited  Crete,  but 
that  he  sent  Titus  there.  S.  Paul  says,  "  I  left  thee  in  Crete,"  Tit.  i.4,  showing  that 
he  did  visit  that  island  with  Titus. 

*  Homil.  i.  in  Tit. 


-** 


*- 


-* 


January  4.]  S.     TltUS.  55 

on  his  return  into  Europe  the  year  after,  finding  the  loss  of 
such  a  companion  too  material,  ordered  him  to  meet  him 
at  Nicopolis,  in  Epirus,  where  he  intended  to  pass  the 
winter,  as  soon  as  Artemas  or  Tychicus,  whom  the  Apostle 
was  about  to  send  to  him,  to  take  the  place  of  the  bishop 
during  his  absence,  should  arrive.1  And  when  he  came,  he 
bade  him  assist  Zenas,  the  lawyer,  and  Apollos  on  their 
journey.2  From  this  Zenas  we  have  certain  incidents  of  the 
life  of  S.  Titus,  which  have  been  preserved  in  a  fragmentary 
condition  in  the  Greek  Menaea. 

Zenas  relates  the  conversion  of  S.  Titus  thus : — Titus,  living 
in  the  island  of  Crete,  was  learned  in  Greek  literature,  having 
been  studious  in  youth.  But  the  dreams  of  the  poets  and 
philosophers  did  not  satisfy  the  inward  craving  of  his  soul 
after  truth.  One  day,  when  twenty  years  old,  he  heard  a 
voice  say  to  him,  "Titus,  depart  hence  and  save  thy  soul, 
for  the  learning  of  the  Greeks  will  not  profit  thee  unto  salva- 
tion." Wondering  in  himself  what  this  could  mean,  he  was 
bidden  by  the  same  voice  to  take  up  a  Hebrew  volume  that 
he  had  long  disregarded,  and  open  it.  And  the  book  was 
the  Prophet  Isaiah,  and  the  place  of  the  Scriptures  that  his 
eye  rested  on  was  this,  "  Keep  silence  before  me,  O  islands ; 
and  let  the  people  renew  their  strength :  let  them  come  near; 
then  let  them  speak,"3  and  what  follows. 

He  seems  to  have  read  on  much  of  that  chapter,  with  its 
promise  to  the  isles,  and  to  have  applied  to  himself  the  words, 
"  Thou  whom  I  have  taken  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and 
called  thee  from  the  chief  men  thereof,  and  said  unto  thee, 
Thou  art  my  servant;  I  have  chosen  thee,  and  not  cast  thee 
away.  Fear  thou  not;  for  I  am  with  thee:  be  not  dismayed; 
for  I  am  thy  God :  I  will  strengthen  thee ;  yea,  I  will  help  thee ; 
yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteous- 
ness.    .     .     .    When  the  poor  and  needy  seek  water,  and 

1  Tit.  iii.  ij.                *  Tit.  iv.  13.              *  Isa.  xli.  1. 
* * 


56  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  4. 

there  is  none,  and  their  tongue  faileth  for  thirst,  I  the  Lord 
will  hear  them,  I  the  God  of  Israel  will  not  forsake  them."1 
These  were  words  very  different  from  those  of  the  poets  of 
Greece,  and  gave  an  idea  of  God  quite  other  from  that 
formed  by  Homer,  in  whose  writings  he  had  found  delight ; 
so  Titus  left  his  Greek  studies  and  his  native  island,  and 
sought  Jerusalem,  the  chief  city  of  that  people  of  whom  the 
prophet  spake  such  great  things.  And  when  he  was  there  he 
saw  Jesus,  and  heard  Him  teach.  Perhaps  he  was  one  of 
those  Greeks  whom  S.  Andrew  brought  to  Christ. 2  He  be- 
lieved, and  was  of  the  number  of  the  first  disciples.  He  re- 
mained at  Jerusalem  after  the  ascension  and  the  descent  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  After  he  joined  S.  Paul,  he  accompanied  him 
in  most  of  his  journeys.  In  65,  S.  Paul  sent  him  to  preach 
the  Word  of  God  in  Dalmatia,  after  he  had  visited  him  in 
Nicopolis  ;3  but  he  probably  was  there  for  no  great  length 
of  time,  though  the  Dalmatians  honour  him  as  their 
Apostle. 

Peter  de  Natalibus  relates  that  when  death  approached, 
he  saw  angels  coming  from  heaven  in  a  glorious  train  to 
fetch  his  soul,  and  that  his  face  lit  up  with  joy  at  their 
approach,  and  shone  with  supernatural  splendour.  He 
committed  his  people  to  God  in  long  and  earnest  prayer, 
and  then  yielded  up  his  spirit  in  peace  to  Christ  his 
Saviour. 

The  body  of  S.  Titus  was  kept,  with  great  veneration,  in 
the  Cathedral  of  Gortyna;  but  that  city  having  been  ruined  by 
the  Saracens,  in  823,  the  metropolitan  see  was  transferred 
to  Candia,  seventeen  miles  from  the  ancient  Gortyna ;  there 
the  head  of  S.  Titus  was  preserved,  till  it  was  carried  off 
by  the  Venetians,  and  is  now  among  the  sacred  treasures 
of  S.  Mark's,  at  Venice. 

Patron  of  Candia,  or  Crete. 

1  Isa.  xli.  9,  io,  17.                  *  John  xii.  31.                   * 2  Tim.  iv.  10. 
& ■ * 


*- 


January  4.]        .SkS".  Dafrosa  and  Rumon.  57 

S.  DAFROSA,  W.  C. 

(A.D.  361.) 

[Mentioned  in  Roman  Martyrology,  and  in  those  of  Bede,  Ado,  Notker, 
Maurolycus,  &c.     All  known  of  her  is  contained  in  the  Martyrologies.] 

This  Saint  was  the  wife  of  S.  Flavian,  a  martyr.  She  was 
one  of  the  few  who  suffered  in  the  reign  of  Julian,  the  Apos- 
tate ;  having  been  sentenced  by  Apronianus,  prsefect  of  the 
city,  in  Rome,  along  with  her  daughters,  Demetria  and 
Bibiana.  S.  Flavian,  her  husband,  was  crowned  on  the  22nd 
December ;  and  she  followed  him  shortly.  She  was  sent  to 
the  house  of  a  certain  Faustus,  who  desired  to  have  her  in 
marriage  ;  but  she  refused  to  become  his  wife,  and  converted 
him  to  the  faith.  He  was  baptized  by  S.  John  the  priest, 
who  is  commemorated  on  June  23rd.  Faustus  was  executed, 
and  his  body  cast  to  the  dogs ;  but  Dafrosa  saved  it,  and 
buried  it  secretly  at  night.  Then,  in  a  dream,  her  husband 
Flavian  appeared  to  her,  and  called  her  to  follow  him.  And 
at  the  expiration  of  five  days,  whilst  engaged  in  prayer,  she 
migrated  to  her  heavenly  country. 


S.  RUMON,  B.  C. 

[Does  not  occur  in  the  Roman  Martyrology.] 

William  of  Malmesbury  informs  us  that  the  history  of 
S.  Rumon's  life  was  destroyed  by  the  wars,  which  devastated 
England.  He  was  a  bishop;  but  of  what  see  we  do  not  know. 
Many  of  the  early  Saints  of  the  Church  in  Cornwall,  Wales, 
and  Ireland,  received  episcopal  consecration,  without  juris- 
diction. His  body  was  preserved  at  Tavistock,  in  Devon- 
shire, where  Ordulf,  Earl  of  Devonshire,  built  a  church 
under  his  invocation,  before  the  year  960. 

£ 4, 


-* 


58  LiveS  Of  the  SaintS.  [Januarys 


S.  GREGORY  OF  LANGRES,  R 

(about  a.d.   541.) 

[Roman  and  Gallican  Martyrologies.  The  life  of  S.  Gregory  of 
Langres  was  written  by  S.  Gregory  of  Tours,  who  died  591.] 

Saint  Gregory,  one  of  the  principal  senators  of  Autun, 
in  France,  was  appointed  count  of  the  city,  and  for  many 
years  administered  justice  with  the  utmost  prudence  and 
uprightness.  His  wife,  Armentaria,  was  also  of  senatorial 
rank  ;  by  her  he  had  several  children,  of  whom  Tetricus  was 
numbered  among  the  Saints. 

After  the  death  of  his  wife,  having  been  elected  by  the 
clergy  and  citizens  of  Langres  to  be  their  bishop,  he  was 
consecrated  by  the  metropolitan.  As  bishop,  his  life  was 
edifying.  He  was  a  model  of  humility,  and  sought,  above 
all  things,  to  conceal  his  acts  of  self-denial,  and  long  commun- 
ings with  God.  He  ate  barley  bread,  but  that  this  might 
not  be  observed,  he  had  wheat  cakes  piled  on  the  table 
above  his  brown  barley  cakes,  so  that  he  could  draw  from 
the  dish  those  for  his  own  eating,  whilst  the  others  ate  white 
bread,  and  supposed  him  to  be  doing  the  same.  In  like 
manner,  at  table  he  used  a  dull  glass  goblet,  so  that 
it  might  not  be  noticed  that  he  drank  water,  whereas,  the 
others  were  supplied  with  wine.  At  night,  he  was  wont 
to  rise  from  his  bed,  when  everybody  else  was  asleep,  and 
steal,  on  tip-toe,  to  the  baptistery  of  the  church,  where  he 
passed  several  hours  in  prayer  and  singing  psalms.  This 
was  long  unobserved ;  but  one  night  a  deacon  was  awake, 
and  saw  the  bishop  rise.  Wondering  at  his  proceeding,  when 
S.  Gregory  had  left  the  dormitory,  he  rose  also,  and  stole 
softly  after  him,  and  saw  him  enter  the  baptistery,  the  gate 
opening  to  him  of  its  own  accord.  For  some  time  there  was 
silence  \   and  then  the  bishop's  voice  was  heard  chanting, 

* * 


-* 


january4.]  S.   Gregory.  59 

and  immediately  many  voices  took  up  the  psalm,  and  the 
singing  continued  for  three  hours.  "  I,  for  my  part,"  says  S. 
Gregory,  of  Tours,  "think  that  the  Saints,  of  whom  the 
relics  were  there  preserved,  revealed  themselves  to  the 
blessed  man,  and  sang  praises  to  God  in  company  with 
him." 

One  day,  as  he  was  walking  to  Langres,  he  was  struck 
with  fever,  and  he  died  shortly  after ;  "  and  his  blessed 
countenance  was  so  glorified  after  his  departure,  that  it 
looked  like  a  blushing  rose,  whilst  the  rest  of  his  body  was 
shining  like  a  white  lily,  so  that  it  seemed  then  to  have 
a  foretaste  of  its  future  resurrection  beauty."  He  was 
buried  at  Dijon,  which  was  then  in  the  diocese  of 
Langres,  and  his  son,  Tetricus,  succeeded  him  in  the  see  of 
Langres. 

There  is  much  uncertainty  about  the  date  of  his  death. 
In  some  Martyrologies  he  is  said  to  have  died  in  535  j 
Galesinius  says  in  524.  But  he  was  present  at  the  Council  of 
Clermont,  in  535,  and  signed  the  decrees  of  the  third  Council 
of  Orleans  by  his  deputy,  Evantius,  the  priest,  in  538;  but 
did  not  appear  at,  or  send  a  deputy  to,  the  fourth  Council  of 
Orleans,  in  541.  It  is,  therefore,  probable  that  the  see  was 
then  vacant  by  his  death. 

In  art,  S.  Gregory  appears  before  a  church  door,  which 
an  angel  opens  to  him ;  or  with  chains,  because  it  is  said 
that  as  his  body  was  being  taken  to  burial,  the  bier  was 
set  down  before  a  prison,  and  the  chains  fell  off  the  prisoners, 
and  they  were  freed  at  the  same  moment 


% * 


-* 


6o  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rjammry* 


S.    PHARAILDIS,  V. 

(about  a.d.  745.) 

[  Belgian  and  German  Martyrologies.  Authorities  for  her  life  :-  A 
MS.  life  from  the  monastery  of  Mont  Gerard,  published  by  the  Bollan- 
dists,  and  by  Molanus  on  the  Belgian  Saints.  Besides,  we  have  mention 
of  her  in  the  lives  of  her  mother  and  sisters.  ] 

Saint  Pharaildis  was  the  daughter  of  Theodoric,  duke 
of  Lorraine,  and  his  wife,  S.  Amalberga.  The  family  was 
one  of  Saints.  The  brother  of  S.  Pharaildis,  on  the  mother's 
side,  was  S.  Emenbert,  Bishop  of  Cambray,  and  her  sisters 
were  S.  Rainelda  and  S.  Gudula.  She  was  born  at  Ghent, 
and  after  her  baptism,  was  taken  by  her  aunt,  S.  Gertrude, 
to  be  by  her  brought  up.  She  was  married,  but  lived  with 
her  husband  as  though  single.  For  thirty  years  she  rose 
every  night  at  cock-crow,  and  sought  the  church  of  the 
nearest  monastery  to  hear  prime,  and  matins,  and  lauds. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  ninety,  and  was  buried  in  the  church 
of  S.  Bavo,  in  Ghent,  a.d.  745,  but  afterwards  was  carried  to 
Nivelles  by  the  religious  of  Ghent,  fleeing  the  incursions  of 
the  Normans.  A  portion  of  the  relics  was  left  at  Nivelles, 
but  the  major  part  was  brought  back  to  Ghent,  and  enshrined 
in  the  new  church  of  S.  Pharaildis,  which  was  destroyed  by 
the  Calvinists  in  1566.  The  relics,  however,  were  saved. 
On  the  17th  Dec,  1608,  the  chapter  of  S.  Pharaildis,  in  Ghent, 
gave  some  portion  to  a  little  chapel  at  Steenockerzeel. 

In  Flemish,  S.  Pharaildis  is  called  Veerle,  or  Verelde. 

In  art,  S.  Pharaildis  appears  as  a  patroness  of  Ghent,  with 
a  goose  in  her  arms,  or  at  her  feet,  Gans  being  the  Flemish 
for  a  goose ;  in  base  Latin,  Ganta  or  Gansa ;  and  the  Latin 
name  of  Ghent,  in  the  Middle  Ages,  being  Gantum.  She 
is  also  represented  with  loaves  of  bread ;  for,  according  to 
a  legend,  a  woman  having  begged  bread  of  her  sister  for  her 

*- gi 


% — . * 

Januarys]  6*.     RigobeH.  6 1 

child,  the  sister  said,  "  I  have  none  to  give  to  you  ;  there's 
no  bread  in  the  house."  And  when  the  poor  woman  urged 
her,  she  exclaimed,  "  May  S.  Pharaildis  change  the  bread 
into  stones  if  there  be  any  here."  Whereupon,  some  loaves 
she  had  by  her  were  petrified. 


S.   RIGOBERT,   ABP.   OF  RHEIMS. 

(about  a.d.  749.) 

[Roman,  Benedictine,  and  Gallican  Martyrologies.  Authority : — A  life 
of  the  9th  cent  ] 

Saint  Rigobert,  a  Benedictine  monk,  was  ordained 
archbishop  of  Rheims  in  the  year  696.  He  consecrated 
Dagobert  II.,  Chilperic  II.,  and  Theoderic  II.,  kings  of 
the  Franks.  In  his  diocese  he  laboured  to  restore  dis- 
cipline and  sanctity  of  life.  When  Charles  Martel  and 
Ragenfried  were  fighting  for  the  mastery,  the  former 
came  with  his  troops  before  Rheims,  and  demanded  to 
be  admitted.  The  bishop  refused  to  open  the  gates, 
"  Because,"  said  he,  "  I  know  not  whether  you  or  Ragen- 
fried will  be  given  the  kingdom."  Charles  Martel  went 
away  in  a  fury,  and  vowed,  if  he  gained  the  day,  he  would 
make  the  cautious  archbishop  suffer  for  it  When  Charles 
Martel  had  subdued  his  rival,  he  returned  to  Rheims,  and 
drove  S.  Rigobert  into  exile,  and  gave  the  revenues  of  the 
see  to  laymen,  creatures  of  the  court  Whilst  at  Rheims, 
S.  Rigobert  had  lived  over  the  city  gate,  and  kept  the  keys 
of  the  town.  The  window  of  his  chamber  looked  towards 
the  Basilica  of  S.  Remigius,  and  at  it  he  was  wont  to  pray, 
like  Daniel,  with  his  face  turned  to  Jerusalem.  That  he 
might  easily,  and  at  will,  descend  into  the  church  of 
S.  Peter,  which  was  situated  near  the  gateway,  S.  Rigobert 
had  a  hole  knocked  in  a  turret  of  the  church,  so  that  by  a 

* ■ -* 


62  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January*. 


ladder  he  could  descend  into  the  church  to  prayer,  and 
return  by  it  to  a  little  oratory,  dedicated  to  S.  Michael,  which 
he  had  built  on  the  city  wall.  But  this  oratory  did  not 
stand  very  long,  for  King  Louis  gave  the  monastery  of 
S.  Peter  to  his  daughter  Alpaida ;  and  her  husband,  Begus, 
having  knocked  his  head  against  the  lintel  of  the  door  when 
entering  the  little  chapel — he  being  a  very  tall  man — ordered 
it  to  be  pulled  down,  pretending  that  it  cut  off  the  light 
from  the  windows  of  the  church.  "  Humility,"  says  the 
chronicler  dryly,  "never  knocks  its  head  against  any 
thing." 

S.  Rigobert,  when  in  exile,  retired  to  Gascony,  but  was 
recalled  by  Pepin,  and  returned  to  Rheims;  but  finding  that, 
contrary  to  canon  law,  Milo,  an  abbot,  had  been  appointed 
to  the  see,  he  went  away  to  Gernicour,  a  village  at  no 
great  distance.  At  Gernicour,  he  lived  in  poverty,  in  great 
humility  and  prayer  ;  sometimes  he  visited  Rheims,  that  he 
might  celebrate  on  the  altar  of  S.  Mary,  which  had  been  con- 
ceded to  him  by  Milo.  One  day  he  was  at  Cormicy,  and 
visited  the  church  of  S.  Cyriac,  to  pray  for  his  poor  diocese, 
a  prey  to  ravening  wolves ;  and  his  prayer  being  ended,  he 
conversed  with  Wibert,  comptroller  of  Rheims,  who  invited 
him  to  dine  with  him,  as  the  table  was  ready.  But  S.  Rigo- 
bert answered,  "  I  may  not  eat,  as  I  have  to  celebrate  mass 
this  morning  in  the  church  of  S.  Peter,  at  Gernicour." 
Whilst  he  was  speaking,  a  poor  widow  brought  the  deputy- 
governor  a  goose.  "  Here,"  said  Wibert,  "  as  you  will  not 
dine  with  me,  take  this  goose  home  with  you,  and  cook  it 
for  your  own  dinner."  Then  S.  Rigobert  gave  it  to  his  little 
serving  boy  to  carry  before  him  ;  and  he  went  on  his  way 
saying  his  office ;  when  the  goose  flew  out  of  the  boy's 
hands,  and  was  gone.  The  boy  was  much  grieved,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  crying.  The  bishop,  seeing  the  sad  face  of 
the  child,  interrupted  his  psalm  to  console  him,  and  to  tell 


*- 


January  4.]  B.     Angela.  63 

him  that  the  loss  of  this  world's  goods  should  not  draw  forth 
tears,  but  that  the  heart  should  trust  in  God,  who  gives  all 
things  bountifully.  Then  the  bishop  resumed  his  psalms, 
now  reciting  them  to  himself,  and  then  breaking  forth  into 
song.  Presently  the  goose  came  fluttering  down  before  the 
feet  of  the  old  man,  so  the  boy  put  it  under  his  arm  again, 
and  brought  it  safely  to  Gernicour.  But  it  was  not  cooked 
for  dinner.  Indeed,  the  bishop  would  not  allow  it  to  be 
killed,  and  the  goose  became  so  tame,  that  it  followed  him 
about,  and  would  even  accompany  him  on  his  walks  to 
Rheims,  and  wait  there  for  him  when  he  said  mass  at  the  altai 
of  S.  Mary. 

Relics,  in  the  church  of  S.  Denis,  at  Rheims,  and  in  the 
chapel  of  S.  Rigobert,  in  the  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame,  at 
Paris. 

In  art,  he  is  represented  with  a  goose. 


B.  ANGELA,  OF  FOLIGNI. 
(a.d.   1309.) 

[B.  Angela  was  beatified  by  Pope  Innocent  XII.  in  1693.  Her  life  and 
revelations  were  written  by  her  confessor,  Arnald,  friar  of  the  order  of  S. 
Francis,  in  her  lifetime,  and  the  revelations  were  submitted  to  her  for 
correction.] 

The  Blessed  Angela,  of  Foligni,  belonged  to  a  rich  and 
honourable  family  in  Umbria.  She  was  married,  and  had 
children.  Upon  the  death  of  her  mother,  husband,  and 
children,  her  heart  turned  in  an  agony  of  love  to  God  alone, 
and  appeared  filled  to  overflowing  with  that  divine  charity 
of  which  an  earthly  affection  is  but  a  reflection.  She  was  fre- 
quent in  prayer,  and  made  a  discreet  use  of  the  Sacrament 
of  penance.     "  Once  she  confessed  her  sins  to  me,"  says 


64  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u^^ry*. 

Friar  Arnald,  "preserving  the  most  perfect  knowledge  of 
her  sins,  and  was  filled  with  so  much  contrition  and  tears, 
from  the  beginning  of  her  confession  to  the  end,  and  with 
so  great  humility,  that  I  wept  in  my  heart,  believing  most 
surely,  that  if  the  whole  world  was  deceived,  God  would 
not  permit  her,  who  was  full  of  so  much  truth  and  integrity, 
to  be  deceived.  The  following  night  she  was  sick,  well 
nigh  to  death,  and  next  morning  she  drew  herself,  with  great 
effort,  to  the  Franciscan  Church,  and  I  was  then  saying  mass, 
and  I  communicated  her,  and  I  know  that  she  never  com- 
municated without  God  giving  her  some  great  favour,  and 
that  a  new  one  continually.  But  so  great  were  the  consola- 
tions and  illuminations  which  she  received  in  her  soul,  that 
frequently  they  seemed  to  overflow  into  her  body.  Thus, 
when  she  was  standing  with  me,  and  her  soul  was  lifted  up, 
her  face  and  body  were  transformed,  through  joy,  at  the  divine 
words  of  address,  and  devotion,  and  delight  at  the  con- 
solations, that  her  eyes  shone  as  candles,  and  her  face 
flushed  like  a  rose,  and  became  radiant  and  angelical,  as 
was  beyond  nature." 

The  inner  life  and  meditations  of  the  Blessed  Angela 
were  written  down  from  her  lips,  and  were  read  over  to  her 
by  the  confessor.  They  are  full  of  instruction  and  beauty, 
and  are  of  considerable  length.  She  died  on  the  4th 
January,  1309. 

Her  body  reposes  in  a  shrine  in  the  Franciscan  Church 
at  FolignL 


*- 


Januarys.]  S.      TeleSpkoTUS.  65 


January  5. 

Wtjt  Fffltl  of  tfce  #{jtpfjang. 

S.  Telesphorus,  P.  M.,  a.d.  139. 

The  Holy  Martyrs  in  the  Thebaid,  a.d.  302. 

S.  Synclktica,  K,  in  Egypt,  4/A  cent. 

S.  Apollinaris  Syncletica,  y.,  $th  cent. 

S.  Simeon  Stylites,  H.,  a.d.  460. 

S.  Emimana,  v.,  6th  cent. 

S.  Edward  the  Confessor,  K.  of  England,  a.d.  1066. 

S.  Gerlach,  H.,  near  Maestrecht,  a.d.  1170. 

S.  TELESPHORUS,  POPE,   M. 
(a.d.  139.) 

[Mentioned  originally  in  the  Carmelite  Breviary.  This  Pope  was  in- 
serted in  the  Roman  Breviary  by  Clement  VIII.  He  is  commemorated  by 
the  Greeks  on  Feb.  22.] 

(AINT  TELESPHORUS  was  by  birth  a  Greek, 
and  was  the  seventh  Bishop  of  Rome.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  year  128,  he  succeeded  S.  Sixtus  L, 
and  sat  eleven  years  on  the  throne  of  S.  Peter, 
and  saw  the  havoc  which  the  persecution  of  Hadrian  wrought 
in  the  Church.  "  He  ended  his  life  by  an  illustrious  martyr- 
dom," says  Eusebius.1 


THE  MARTYRS   IN  THE  THEBAID. 

(about  a.d.  302.) 

"  One  cannot  but  admire,"  says  Eusebius,  in  his  Ecclesi- 
astical History  (lib.  viii.,  c.  8,  9),  "those  who  suffered  in 
Egypt,  their  native  land,  where  thousands,  both  men,  and 

1  Hist.,  lib.  iy.  c.  iq. 
VOL.    I.  S 

* — ' '         -  ■    " — ■ ■ # 


►J, X 

66  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

women,  and  children,  despising  the  present  life  for  the  sake 
of  our  Saviour's  doctrine,  submitted  to  death  in  various 
shapes.  Some,  after  being  tortured  with  scrapings  and  the 
rack,  and  the  most  dreadful  scourgings,  and  other  innumer- 
able agonies,  which  one  might  shudder  to  hear,  were  finally 
committed  to  the  flames;  some  plunged  and  drowned  in  the 
sea,  others  voluntarily  offering  their  heads  to  the  executioners ; 
others  dying  in  the  midst  of  their  torments,  some  wasted  away 
by  famine,  and  others  again  fixed  to  the  cross.  Some,  indeed, 
were  executed  as  malefactors  usually  were ;  others,  more 
cruelly,  were  nailed  head  downwards,  and  kept  alive,  until 
they  were  destroyed  by  starving,  on  the  cross  itself.  But  it 
would  exceed  all  power  of  detail  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
sufferings  and  tortures  which  the  martyrs  of  Thebais  endured. 
These,  instead  of  hooks,  had  their  bodies  scraped  with 
potsherds,  and  were  mangled  in  this  way  until  they  died. 
Women,  tied  by  one  foot,  and  then  raised  on  high  in  the  air 
by  certain  machines,  with  their  naked  bodies  wholly  un- 
covered, presented  this  most  foul,  cruel,  and  inhuman  spec- 
tacle to  all  beholders ;  others  again  perished,  bound  to  trees 
and  branches.  For,  drawing  the  stoutest  of  the  branches 
together  by  machines  for  this  purpose,  and  binding  the 
limbs  of  the  martyrs  to  each  of  these,  they  then  let  loose 
the  boughs  to  resume  their  natural  position,  designing  thus 
to  produce  a  violent  action,  to  tear  asunder  the  limbs  of 
those  whom  they  thus  treated.  But  all  these  things  were 
doing  not  only  for  a  few  days,  or  for  some  time,  but  for  a 
series  of  whole  years.  At  one  time,  ten  or  more;  at  another, 
more  than  twenty ;  at  another  time,  not  less  than  thirty,  and 
even  sixty;  and  again,  at  another  time,  a  hundred  men,  with 
their  wives  and  little  children,  were  slain  in  one  day,  whilst 
they  were  condemned  to  various  and  varied  punishments. 
We  ourselves,  when  on  the  spot,  saw  many  crowded  together 
in  one  day,  some  suffering  decapitation,  some  the  torments 

* ■ ' ■ * 


January^.]         Martyrs  in  the  Thebaid.  67 

of  flames ;  so  that  the  murderous  weapon  was  completely 
blunted,  and  having  lost  its  edge,  broke  to  pieces;  and 
the  executioners  themselves,  wearied  with  slaughter,  were 
obliged  to  relieve  one  another.  Then,  also,  we  were  wit- 
nesses to  the  most  admirable  ardour  of  mind,  and  the  truly 
divine  energy  and  alacrity  of  those  that  believed  in  the 
Christ  of  God.  For,  as  soon  as  the  sentence  was  pronounced 
against  the  first,  others  rushed  forward  from  other  parts  to 
the  tribunal  before  the  judge,  confessing  they  were  Christians, 
most  indifferent  to  the  dreadful  and  many  kinds  of  tortures 
that  awaited  them,  but  declaring  themselves  fully,  and  in  the 
most  undaunted  manner,  on  the  religion  which  acknow- 
ledges only  one  Supreme  God.  They  received,  indeed,  the 
final  sentence  of  death  with  gladness  and  exultation,  so  far  as 
even  to  sing  and  send  up  hymns  of  praise  and  thanksgiving, 
until  they  breathed  their  last." 

The  names  of  these  blessed  ones,  whose  bones  are 
strewn  over  the  deserts  of  Egypt,  are  unknown  to  us ;  but 
they  are  written  in  the  Book  of  Life.  At  the  day  of  the 
general  Resurrection  they  will  rise  and  stand,  on  their  feet, 
a  great  army. 


S.  SYNCLETICA,  V. 

(4TH    CENT.) 

[S.  Syndetica  is  commemorated  by  the  Westerns  on  the  5th  Jan.,  and 
by  the  Easterns  on  the  4th  Jan.  Her  life,  written  shortly  after  her  death, 
has  been  attributed  to  S.  Athanasius,  but  on  insufficient  grounds.] 

At  a  time  when  luxury  was  carried  to  extremities,  and  the 
body  was  pampered,  and  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the 
eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  were  the  objects  for  which  men  and 
women  lived,  here  and  there  the  spirit  of  man  throbbed  with 
higher  aspirations,  and  yearned  to  break  away  from  the  gilded 

* . * 


* * 

68  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u*™*ry  $, 

round  of  wealthy  frivolity,  to  live  a  truer  life  and  breathe  a 
purer  air.  Society  was  rotten  to  its  core ;  decency  was  not  ob- 
served in  conversation ;  modesty  was  forgotten  in  dress,  and 
all  that  could  gratify  the  flesh,  and  excite  passion,  was  studied 
as  an  art  In  the  midst  of  this  hot,  sickly  atmosphere  of 
evil,  pure  souls,  like  that  of  Syncletica,  stifled.  The  modest 
mind  of  a  young  girl  shrank  into  itself,  like  a  delicate  flower 
that  closes  at  the  rude  touch,  and  died  to  the  world.  If 
she  were  a  heathen,  she  bent  her  head,  and  sickened  and 
faded.  If  she  were  a  Christian,  she  found  in  the  shadow 
of  the  Church,  a  fresh  spot  where  she  might  bloom,  fanned 
by  the  breezes  of  Paradise. 

Syncletica  was  born  at  Alexandria,  of  wealthy  parents,  of 
Macedonian  extraction,  who  had  settled  there.  Being  very 
beautiful  and  well-dowered,  she  was  sought  in  marriage  by 
many  suitors ;  but  declined  all  offers,  for  her  girlish  heart 
had  awakened  to  a  love  truer  and  deeper  than  any  human 
affection ;  the  best  of  her  love  she  gave  to  God,  and  she 
desired  to  be  His,  and  His  alone.  On  the  death  of  her 
parents  she  devoted  her  attention  to  her  blind  sister;  and 
together,  they  served  God  in  prayer  and  almsgiving.  In 
token  of  renunciation  of  the  world,  and  to  deliver  herself 
from  troublesome  pursuit  by  fortune-hunters,  she  cut  off 
her  hair,  and  disposed  of  her  estates,  but  she  sought  to  avoid 
notice  in  all  that  she  did,  and  to  conceal  her  good  deeds  and 
self-sacrifices.  Nevertheless,  she  became  known,  and  young 
maidens  and  women  resorted  to  her  for  advice,  and  to  study 
her  example.  She  was  reluctant  to  be  forced  thus  into  a 
position  which  she  dreaded;  nevertheless,  unable  to  refuse 
the  girls  and  young  women  that  assistance  they  so  much 
needed,  she  gave  them  much  instruction,  which  has  been 
preserved  to  us  in  the  record  we  have  of  her  life,  and  her 
words  abound  in  practical  common  sense.  "  Listen  to  me," 
she  said  to  the  maidens;    "we  all  know  how  we  can  be 

* ■* 


-* 


Januarys.]  S.  Syncletica.  69 

saved,  but  we  fail  through  our  own  carelessness.  The  first 
thing  to  be  done,  is  to  keep  the  commandment,  '  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  thy  neighbour 
as  thyself;  for  in  this  consists  all  perfection.'  These  are  few 
words,  but  there  is  plenty  of  matter  in  them.  Then  beware 
of  retrogression.  The  corn  in  the  Gospel  brought  forth ; 
some  an  hundred-fold,  some  sixty-fold,  and  some  thirty- 
fold.  Beware  lest,  beginning  at  sixty,  we  fall  back  to  thirty. 
Let  those  who  are  virgins  take  care  of  their  eyes,  and  their 
tongue,  and  their  ears,  and  keep  them  in  modesty,  not 
looking  about  them  boldly,  nor  talking  flippantly,  nor  lis- 
tening to  certain  things  that  may  be  said.  Obedience  is 
better  than  asceticism,  for  asceticism  may  puff  up,  but 
obedience  brings  one  down.  There  is  an  asceticism  which 
is  of  the  devil.  How  are  we  to  distinguish  right  asceticism 
from  that  which  is  wrong  ?  By  its  moderation.  Have  you 
begun  fasting?  Don't  make  pretexts  to  wriggle  out  of  it  on 
the  score  of  health,  for  the  lady  who  does  not  fast  is  just  as 
much  subject  to  maladies  as  she  who  does." 

S.  Syncletica  died  at  the  age  of  eighty,  of  cancer  on  the 
mouth,  and  consumption  in  the  lungs,  from  which  she  suf- 
fered with  great  patience  for  three  years.  The  cancer  made 
horrible  ravages  in  her  face,  and  became  so  distressingly 
offensive,  that  to  ward  off  infection  from  those  who  nursed 
her,  she  allowed  it  to  be  treated  with  the  mixture  which  is 
used  for  embalming  corpses. 


* © 


-* 


70  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

S.  APOLLINARIS  SYNCLETICA,  V. 

(BEGINNING   OF    5TH    CENT.) 

[Commemorated  in  the  Latin  Martyrologies  on  this  day,  but  by  the 
Greeks  on  Jan.  4th.  Her  life,  written  by  one  who  lived  at  the  same  time, 
is  given  by  Metaphrastes.  This  life  represents  her  as  daughter  of  An- 
themius,  the  Emperor.  Metaphrastes  concludes,  but  wrongly,  that  she 
was  daughter  of  Anthemius,  who  was  appointed  Emperor  of  the  West 
by  Leo  I.  But  it  appears  more  probable  that  she  was  the  daughter  of 
Anthemius,  consular  prefect  of  the  city,  who  acted  as  regent  after  the  death 
of  Arcadius,  during  the  minority  of  Theodosius  the  younger.  This  Anthemius 
was  grandfather  of  the  Emperor  Anthemius.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the 
regent  may  have  received  imperial  honours.  The  narrative  in  one  place, 
speaking  of  the  expedition  of  Apollinans  to  the  Holy  Land,  says,  "  A  few 
days  after,  when  we  had  found  companions,  we  went  on  to  the  Holy  City. 
And  when,  at  a  certain  place,  we  turned  aside,  on  account  of  our  burdens, 
and  the  slaves  and  serving  maids  who  were  with  us,  we  rested  awhile." 
This  is  the  only  allusion  to  himself  made  by  the  writer,  and  it  is  so  casual, 
that  it  is  difficult  not  to  regard  it  as  an  evidence  of  the  authenticity  of  the 
piece.  The  story  is,  however,  so  much  like  a  romance,  and  is  open  to  so 
many  critical  objections,  that  it  is  difficult  to  accept  it  exactly  as  it  is.] 

Saint  Apollinaris,  called  from  her  high  rank  Syncletica, 
was  the  daughter  of  Anthemius.  She  had  a  sister  of  a  differ- 
ent spirit  from  herself.  The  parents  of  Apollinaris  desired 
to  unite  her  in  marriage,  at  an  early  age,  to  some  wealthy 
noble,  but  she  manifested  such  a  fixed  resolution  to  remain 
single,  that  they  yielded  to  her  wish.  In  her  heart  she  desired 
to  retire  completely  from  the  world  ;  having  heard  of  the  won- 
drous lives  of  the  recluses  in  Egypt,  she  longed  greatly  to 
see  and  imitate  them.  Her  parents  having  consented  to  her 
making  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  she  visited  the  holy 
places,  and  in  Jerusalem  she  liberated  all  the  slaves  who 
had  been  sent  to  bear  her  company,  and  dismissed  them 
with  liberal  gifts,  retaining  in  her  service  only  an  eunuch 
and  an  old  man  to  prepare  her  tent.  In  Jerusalem,  she 
bribed  an  aged  woman  to  procure  for  her,  secretly,  the  habit 
of  a  recluse,  and  this  she  kept  by  her  for  a  proper  moment 
On  her  way  back  she  visited  the  tomb  of  S.  Meria,  on  the 

* 4 


* — ■ % 

Januarys-]  S.     ApolUnaris.  71 

Egyptian  coast ;  and  after  prayer  retired  to  her  sleeping  tent, 
when  she  assumed  the  monastic  habit,  and  cast  aside  her 
worldly  dress,  with  all  its  ornaments.  Then,  in  the  night, 
when  the  two  men  were  asleep  without,  she  stole  from  her 
tent,  and  fled  into  the  desert,  and  took  refuge  in  a  morass. 
Next  morning  the  servants  were  filled  with  consternation, 
and  sought  her  everywhere  in  vain.  Then  they  appeared 
before  the  governor  of  the  city  Lemna  (?)  where  they  were  ; 
and  he  assisted  in  the  search,  but  all  was  in  vain ;  so  the 
governor  sent  a  letter  to  the  parents  of  Apollinaris,  with  her 
clothes  and  baggage,  narrating  the  circumstances.  Anthe- 
mius  and  his  wife  wept  when  they  heard  of  the  loss  of  theii 
daughter,  but  consoled  themselves  with  the  belief  that  she 
had  entered  some  community  of  religious  women. 

However,  S.  Apollinaris  made  her  way  into  the  desert  of 
Scete,  where  lived  S.  Macarius  of  Alexandria,  at  the  head 
of  a  large  monastery  of  recluses  in  cells  and  caves.  Apolli- 
naris, having  cut  off  her  hair,  and  being  much  tanned  by 
exposure  to  the  sun,  and  wasted  with  hunger  in  the  marsh, 
where  she  had  lived  on  a  few  dates,  passed  as  a  man,  and 
was  supposed,  from  being  beardless,  to  be  an  eunuch.  She 
spent  many  years  there  under  the  name  of  Dorotheus.  Now 
it  fell  out  that  her  sister,  being  grievously  tormented  with  a 
devil,  Anthemius  bethought  himself  on  sending  her  to  Ma- 
carius to  be  healed,  for  the  fame  of  his  miracles  had  spread 
far  and  wide.  But  when  the  young  girl  was  brought  to 
Macarius,  the  aged  abbot,  moved  by  some  interior  impulse, 
conducted  her  to  Dorotheus,  and  bade  him  heal  the  possessed 
by  prayer.  Then  S.  Apollinaris  earnestly,  and  with  many 
tears,  besought  Macarius  not  to  tempt  her  thus,  for  God  had 
not  given  to  her  the  gift  of  performing  miracles.  Never- 
theless he  persisted ;  then  the  possessed  woman  was  shut 
into  the  cell  of  Dorotheus  for  several  days,  that  he  might, 
by  prayer  and  fasting,  cast  the  demon  forth.     And  when, 

* — % 


* % 

72  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  j. 

after  a  while,  the  virgin  seemed  to  be  healed,  she  was  re- 
stored to  the  attendants,  who  conducted  her  to  her  parents 
with  great  joy. 

Some  months  after,  the  maiden  suffered  from  an  attack  of 
dropsy,  and  the  parents,  in  shame  and  grief,  supposing  her 
to  be  pregnant,  questioned  her  closely  thereabout  But  she 
could  not  account  for  her  size,  and  when  they  pressed  her 
more  vehemently,  moved  by  the  evil  spirit,  she  declared  that 
Dorotheus,  the  hermit,  had  seduced  her.  On  hearing  this, 
Anthemius  sent  to  Scete,  that  Dorotheus  should  be  brought 
before  him.  The  holy  congregation  was  filled  with  horror 
and  dismay  on  hearing  the  charge,  and  they  went  with  one 
accord  and  cried  to  God  to  put  away  from  them  so  grievous 
a  reproach.  Then  said  Dorotheus,  "Be  of  good  courage, 
my  brethren,  the  Lord  will  reveal  my  innocence."  And 
when  she  was  brought  before  Anthemius,  she  said,  "I  am 
your  daughter,  Apollinaris."  Then  they  fell  on  her  neck 
and  wept,  and  she  prayed  to  God,  and  kissed  her  sister, 
and  the  Lord  heard  her  cry,  and  healed  the  damsel  of  her 
disease.  And  after  having  tarried  with  them  a  few  days,  she 
returned  to  the  desert  once  more. 


S.  SIMEON   STYLITES,  H. 

(a.d.  460.) 

[Commemorated  on  this  day  in  the  Latin  Martyrologies,  but  on  Sf  pt. 
1st  by  the  Greeks.  There  were  three  of  this  name  ;  the  second,  who  lived 
at  a  later  date,  is  commemorated  by  the  Greeks  on  May  24th  ;  and  the 
third,  whom  they  designate  Priest  and  Archimandrite,  on  July  26th.  These 
two  later  Saints  copied  the  great  Simeon  Stylites,  of  world-wide  renown. 
The  life  of  this  famous  hermit  was  written  by  a  disciple  of  his,  named 
Anthony,  who  was  with  him  when  he  died  ;  and  also  by  Theodoret,  who 
knew  him  well  in  life.     Also,  by  Evagrius  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History.] 

"  Simeon,"  says  Theodoret,  "  was  bora  in  the  village  of 
Gesa,  between  Antioch  and  Cilicia,  and  as  a  boy  kept  his 

* 1£ 


S.    SIMEON    STYLITES. 
From   Hone's  "  livery  Day  Book." 


Jan.,  p.  72.] 


Ijan.  5. 


-►< 


January^.]  S.  Simeon  Stylites.  73 

father's  sheep.  One  day,  forced  by  heavy  snow  to  leave 
them  in  the  fold,  he  went  with  his  parents  to  the  church,  and 
there  heard  the  Gospel  read,  which  blesses  those  who  mourn 
and  weep  ;  which  calls  those  enviable  who  have  a  pure  heart. 
And  when  he  asked  a  bystander  what  he  would  gain  who 
kept  the  Beatitudes,  the  man  propounded  to  him  the  life  of 
self-sacrifice.  This,"  Theodoret  adds,  "he  heard  from  the 
Saint's  own  tongue." 

Forthwith,  Simeon  going  out  of  the  church,  went  to  a 
neighbouring  monastery,  governed  by  one  Timothy ;  and 
falling  down  before  the  gate,  he  lay  five  days,  neither  eating 
nor  drinking.  And  on  the  fifth  day,  the  abbot,  coming  out, 
asked  him,  "  Whence  art  thou,  my  son  ?  What  parents  hast 
thou,  that  thou  art  so  afflicted  ?  Or,  what  is  thy  name,  lest 
perchance  thou  hast  done  wrong?  or,  perchance,  thou  art 
a  slave,  and  fleest  from  thy  master?"  Then  the  lad 
answered  with  tears,  "  No,  master  !  I  long  to  be  a  servant  of 
God,  and  to  save  my  soul.  Suffer  me  to  enter  the  monas- 
tery, and  send  me  not  away." 

Then  the  abbot,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  introduced 
him  into  the  house,  saying  to  the  brethren,  "  My  sons, 
behold  I  deliver  you  this  brother ;  teach  him  the  rules." 
He  was  in  the  convent  about  four  months,  serving  all  with- 
out complaint,  and  in  that  time  he  learned  the  whole  Psalter 
by  heart.  But  the  food  which  he  took  with  his  brethren,  he 
gave  away  secretly  to  the  poor,  reserving  for  himself  only 
food  for  one  day  in  the  seven.  But  one  day,  having  gone 
to  the  well  to  draw  water,  he  took  the  rope  from  the  bucket 
and  wound  it  round  his  body,  from  the  loins  to  the  neck,  and 
wore  it  till  his  flesh  was  cut  into  by  the  rope.  One  day, 
some  of  the  brethren  found  him  giving  his  food  to  the  poor  ; 
and  when  they  returned,  they  complained  to  the  abbot,  say- 
ing, "  We  cannot  abstain  like  him  ;  he  fasts  from  Lord's  day 
to  Lord's  day,  and  gives  away  his  food."     Then  the  abbot 

>i<- %, 


* * 

74  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

rebuked  him,  and  Simeon  answered  not.  And  the  abbot 
being  angry,  bade  strip  him,  and  found  the  rope  round  him, 
sunk  into  the  flesh,  and  with  great  trouble  it  was  uncoiled, 
and  the  skin  came  off  with  it ;  then  the  monks  took  care  of 
him  and  healed  him.  When  he  was  healed,  he  went  out 
of  the  monastery  and  entered  a  deserted  tank,  where  there 
was  no  water ;  no  man  knowing.  After  a  few  days,  he  was 
found,  and  the  abbot  descended  into  the  tank.  Then  the 
blessed  Simeon,  seeing  him,  began  to  entreat,  saying,  "  I 
beg  you,  servants  of  God,  let  me  alone  one  hour,  that  I  may 
render  up  my  spirit ;  for  yet  a  little  while,  and  it  will 
fail.  But  my  soul  is  very  weary,  because  I  have  angered 
the  Lord." 

But  the  abbot  said  to  him,  "  Come,  servant  of  God,  that 
we  may  take  thee  to  the  monastery."  But  when  he  would 
not,  they  brought  him  by  force,  and  he  stayed  in  the  com- 
munity about  one  year.  "  After  this,"  says  Theodoret,  "  he 
came  to  the  Telanassus,  under  the  peak  of  the  mountain,  on 
which  he  lived  till  his  death,  and  having  found  a  little  house, 
he  remained  in  it  shut  up  for  three  years.  But,  eager  to 
advance  in  virtue,  he  tried  to  persuade  Blasus,  who  was 
archpriest  of  the  villages  around,  to  leave  nothing  within  by 
him,  for  forty  days  and  nights,  but  to  close  up  the  door  with 
clay.  The  priest  warned  him  that  to  die  by  one's  own  act 
is  no  virtue,  but  is  a  great  crime."  "Put  by  me  then,  father," 
he  said,  "  ten  loaves,  and  a  cruse  of  water,  and  if  I  find  my 
body  needs  sustenance,  I  will  partake  of  them."  Then 
Blasus  did  so,  and  at  the  end  of  the  days  Blasus  removed 
the  clay,  and  going  in,  found  the  bread  and  water  untouched, 
and  Simeon  lying,  unable  to  speak  or  move.  Getting  a 
sponge,  he  moistened  and  opened  his  lips,  and  then  gave 
him  the  Holy  Eucharist ;  and  strengthened  by  this  immortal 
Food,  he  chewed,  little  by  little,  lettuces  and  succory,  and 
such  like. 

* * 


-* 


Januarys-]  S.  Simeon  Stylites.  75 

When  he  had  passed  three  years  in  that  little  house,  he 
took  possession  of  the  peak,  which  has  since  been  so  famous ; 
and  when  he  had  commanded  a  wall  to  be  made  round  him, 
and  procured  an  iron  chain,  he  fastened  one  end  of  it  to  a 
great  stone,  and  the  other  to  his  right  foot,  so  that  he  could 
not,  if  he  wished,  have  left  those  bounds.  But  when 
Meletius,  Bishop  of  Antioch,  saw  him,  he  told  him  that  if  he 
had  the  will  to  remain,  the  iron  profited  nothing.  Then, 
having  sent  for  a  smith,  he  bade  him  strike  off  the 
chain. 

The  fame  of  the  wondrous  austerities  of  this  man  wrought 
upon  the  wild  Arab  tribes,  and  effected  what  no  missionaries 
had  been  able,  as  yet,  to  perform.  No  doubt  the  fearful 
severities  exercised  by  Simeon,  on  himself,  are  startling  and 
even  shocking.  But  the  Spirit  of  God  breathes  where  He 
wills,  and  thou  canst  not  tell  whence  He  cometh  and  whither 
He  goeth.  What  but  the  divine  Spirit  could  have  caught 
that  young  boy's  soul  away  from  keeping  sheep,  and  looking 
forward  to  the  enjoyment  of  youth,  and  precipitated  it  into 
this  course,  so  contrary  to  flesh  and  blood  ?  Theodoret 
says,  that  as  kings  change  the  impression  on  their  coins, 
sometimes  stamping  them  with  the  image  of  lions,  sometimes 
of  stars,  sometimes  of  angels,  so  the  divine  Monarch  pro- 
duces different  marks  of  sanctity  at  different  periods,  and  at 
each  period  He  calls  forth  these  virtues,  or  characters,  He 
needs  for  a  particular  work.  So  was  it  now ;  on  the  wild 
sons  of  the  desert,  no  missionaries  had  made  an  impression  ; 
their  rough  hearts  had  given  no  echo  to  the  sound  of  the 
Gospel.  Something  of  startling  novelty  was  needed  to  catch 
their  attention,  and  strike  their  imagination,  and  drag  them 
violently  to  the  cross.  These  wild  men  came  from  their 
deserts  to  see  the  weird,  haggard  man  in  his  den.  He  fled 
from  them  as  they  crowded  upon  him,  not  into  the  wastes  of 
sand,  but  up  a  pillar ;  first  up  one  six  cubits,  then  one  twelve 


*- 


*- 


7 6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

cubits,  and  finally,  one  of  thirty-six.  The  sons  of  Ishmael 
poured  to  the  foot  of  the  pillar,  "  like  a  river  along  the  roads, 
and  formed  an  ocean  of  men  about  it"  "  And,"  says  Theo- 
doret,  "  myriads  of  Ishmaelites,  who  had  been  enslaved  in  the 
darkness  of  impiety,  were  illuminated  by  that  station  on  the 
column.  For  this  most  shining  light,  set  as  it  were  on  a 
candlestick,  sent  forth  all  around  its  beams,  like  the  sun,  and 
one  might  see  Iberi,  Persians,  and  Armenians  coming  and 
receiving  divine  baptism.  But  the  Ishmaelites  (Arabs,) 
coming  by  tribes,  200  and  300  at  a  time,  and  sometimes 
even  1,000,  denied  with  shouts  the  error  of  their  ances- 
tors ;  and  breaking  in  pieces  the  images  they  had  worship- 
ped, and  renouncing  the  orgies  of  Venus,  they  received  the 
divine  Sacraments,  and  accepted  laws  from  that  holy  tongue. 
And  this  I  have  seen  with  my  own  eyes,  and  have  heard 
them  renouncing  the  impiety  of  their  fathers,  and  assenting 
to  Evangelic  doctrine."  Here  was  the  result.  Little  did 
the  boy  know,  as  he  lay  before  the  monastery  door  five  days 
without  eating,  to  what  God  had  called  him  ;  for  what  work 
he  was  predestined,  when  he  coiled  the  rope  about  his  body. 
The  Spirit  had  breathed,  and  he  had  followed  the  impulse, 
and  now  he  wrought  what  the  tongue  of  a  prophet  could  not 
have  affected.  And  it  was  worth  the  pain  of  that  rope  torn 
from  his  bleeding  body ;  it  was  recompense  for  those  long 
fastings. 

"  Three  winters,  that  my  soul  might  grow  to  Thee, 
I  lived  up  there  on  yonder  mountain  side  ; 
My  right  leg  chain'd  into  the  crag,  I  lay 
Pent  in  a  roofless  close  of  ragged  stones  ; 
Inswathed  sometimes  in  wandering  mist,  and  twice 
Black'd  with  Thy  branding  thunder,  and  sometimes 
Sucking  the  damps  for  drink,  and  eating  not." 

It  was  worth  all  this,  if  souls  could  be  added  to  the  Lord,  as 
they  were,  by   hundreds  and  thousands.     God's  ways   are 


■* 


* — * 

January  jo  S.  Simeon  Stylites.  77 

not  as  our  ways.  The  God  who  needed  these  souls,  called 
up  the  soul  of  Simeon  to  do  the  work,  and  Simeon  obeyed, 
and  traversed  perhaps  the  most  awful  path  man  has  yet 
trod. 

It  is  not  for  us  to  condemn  a  mode  of  life  which  there  is 
no  need  for  men  to  follow  now.  It  was  needed  then,  and 
he  is  rightly  numbered  with  the  Saints,  who  submitted  his 
will  to  that  of  God,  to  make  of  him  an  instrument  for  His 
purpose  in  the  way  that  He  saw  best. 

"  There  came  from  Arabena  a  certain  good  man,"  says 
Theodoret,  "  who,  when  he  had  come  to  that  mountain  peak, 
4  Tell,  me,'  he  cried,  '  by  the  very  Truth,  art  thou  a  man, 
or  of  incorporeal  nature  ?'  But  when  all  there  were  dis- 
pleased with  the  question,  the  Saint  bade  them  all  be  silent, 
and  bade  them  set  a  ladder  to  the  column,  and  bade  the 
man  come  up  ;  and  first  look  at  his  hands,  and  then  feel  in- 
side his  cloak  of  skins,  and  see  not  only  his  feet,  but  also  a 
severe  ulcer  in  them.  But  when  he  saw  that  he  was  a  man, 
and  the  size  of  that  sore,  and  learnt  from  him  how  he  took 
nourishment,  he  came  down  and  told  me  all." 

"  On  festivals,  from  the  setting  of  the  sun  till  its  appear- 
ance again,  he  stood  all  night  with  his  hands  uplifted  to 
heaven,  neither  soothed  with  sleep,  nor  conquered  by 
fatigue.  But  in  toils  so  great,  and  so  great  magnitude  of 
deeds,  and  multitude  of  miracles,  his  self-esteem  is  as  mode- 
rate as  if  he  were  in  dignity  the  least  of  men.  Besides  his 
modesty,  he  is  easy  of  access  of  speech,  and  gracious,  and 
answers  every  man  who  speaks  to  him.  And  from  the 
bounteous  God  he  has  received  the  gift  of  teaching,  and  he 
makes  exhortations  to  the  people  twice  every  day.  He  may 
be  seen  also  acting  as  a  judge,  giving  just  decisions.  This, 
and  the  like,  is  done  after  the  ninth  hour.  For  all  night, 
and  through  the  day  to  the  ninth  hour,  he  prays  perpetually. 
After  that  he  sets  forth  divine  teaching  to  those  who  are 

* -g 


— * 

78  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

present,  and  then,  having  heard  each  man's  petition,  having 
performed  some  cures,  he  settles  disputes.  About  sunset,  he 
begins  the  rest  of  his  converse  with  God.  But  though  he  is 
employed  in  this  way,  he  does  not  give  up  the  care  of  the 
churches,  sometimes  fighting  against  the  impiety  of  the 
Greeks,  sometimes  checking  the  audacity  of  the  Jews,  some- 
times putting  to  flight  the  heretics,  and  sometimes  sending 
messages  to  the  emperor;  sometimes  stirring  up  rulers  to 
zeal  for  God,  and  sometimes  exhorting  the  pastors  of  the 
churches  to  bestow  more  care  on  their  flocks." 

To  make  trial  of  his  humility,  an  order  was  sent  him,  in 
the  name  of  the  neighbouring  bishops  and  abbots,  to  quit  his 
pillar,  and  new  manner  of  life.  The  Saint,  ready  to  obey  the 
summons,  was  about  to  step  down ;  when  the  messenger, 
seeing  his  willingness  to  obey,  said  he  was  empowered  to 
authorize  him  to  follow  his  vocation. 

Once,  his  mother  hearing  of  his  fame,  came  to  see  him, 
Dut  was  not  allowed  to  enter  the  enclosure  around  the  pillar. 
But  when  Simeon  heard  his  mother's  voice,  he  said  to  her, 
"  Bear  up,  my  mother,  a  little  while,  and  we  shall  see  each 
other,  if  God  will."  But  she  began  to  weep  and  rebuke  him, 
saying,  "  Son,  why  hast  thou  done  this  ?  In  return  for  the 
body  I  bore  thee,  thou  has  filled  me  with  grief.  For  the 
milk  with  which  I  nourished  thee,  thou  hast  given  me  tears. 
For  the  kiss  with  which  I  kissed  thee,  thou  hast  given  me  an 
aching  heart."  "  She  made  us  all  weep,"  says  Anthony,  who 
writes  this  incident.  Simeon,  on  his  pillar,  was  also  deeply 
agitated,  and,  covering  his  face  with  his  hands,  he  wept 
bitterly,  and  cried  to  her,  "  Lady  mother,  be  still  a  little 
while,  and  we  shall  see  each  other  in  eternal  rest."  The 
poor  mother,  with  harrowed  heart,  hung  about  the  place  for 
three  days,  crying  to  her  son,  and  wrung  with  grief  to  see  his 
terrible  penance.  Then  Simeon,  grieving  for  her,  prayed  to 
God  to  give  her  rest,  and  at  the  end  of  those  three  days  she 

* ^ 


* — — £t 

January  5.]  S.  Simeon  Stylites.  79 


fell  asleep  in  Christ.  Then  the  people  took  up  her  body 
and  brought  it  where  Simeon  might  see  it  And  he,  weeping, 
said,  "  The  Lord  receive  thee  in  joy,  mother  !  because  thou 
hast  endured  tribulation  for  me,  and  borne  me,  and  nursed 
and  nourished  me  with  labour.  Then  he  prayed,  "Lord  God 
of  virtues,  who  sittest  above  the  Cherubim,  and  searchest 
the  foundations  of  the  abyss,  who  knewest  Adam  before 
he  was ;  who  hast  promised  the  riches  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  to  those  who  love  Thee ;  who  didst  speak  to  Moses 
out  of  the  burning  bush ;  who  blessedst  Abraham  our  father; 
who  bringest  to  Paradise  the  souls  of  the  just,  and  sinkest 
the  souls  of  the  ungodly  in  perdition;  who  didst  humble  the 
lions  before  Daniel,  and  mitigate  for  the  Three  Children  the 
strong  fire  of  the  Chaldees  ;  who  didst  nourish  Elijah  by  the 
ravens  which  brought  him  food,  receive  her  soul  in  peace, 
and  put  her  in  the  place  of  the  holy  Fathers,  for  Thine  is  the 
power,  for  ever  and  ever." 

A  robber,  Jonathan  by  name,  fled  to  S.  Simeon,  and  em- 
braced the  column,  weeping  bitterly,  and  confessing  his  sins, 
and  saying  that  he  desired  to  repent.  Then  the  Saint  cried, 
"  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  But  beware  that  thou 
fall  not  again."  Then  came  the  officials  from  Antioch,  de- 
manding the  poor  wretch,  that  he  might  be  cast  to  wild  beasts 
in  the  amphitheatre.  But  Simeon  answered,  "  My  sons,  I 
brought  him  not  hither,  but  One  greater  than  I.  I  cannot 
give  him  up,  for  I  fear  Him  who  sent  the  man  to  me." 

Then  the  sergeants,  struck  with  fear,  went  away.  And 
Jonathan  lay  for  seven  days  embracing  the  column,  and  then 
asked  leave  to  depart.  The  Saint  asked  him  if  he  was 
going  to  return  to  sin.  "  No,  my  lord  !"  answered  the  rob- 
ber ;  "  but  my  time  is  fulfilled."  And  straightway  he  gave 
up  the  ghost ;  and  when  the  sergeants  came  from  Antioch, 
again  insisting  that  he  should  be  given  up  to  suffer  for  his 
crimes,   Simeon   replied,   pointing  to  the  body,    "  He  who 

* _ _.  ■■■•-•-     ■- * 


8o  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  $. 

brought  the  poor  sinner  here,  has  come  with  His  angels,  and 
has  pardoned  this  man  Himself." 

Anthony,  his  disciple,  thus  relates  the  death  of  the  old 
hermit.  "  After  a  few  years,  it  befell  one  day,  that  he 
bowed  himself  in  prayer,  and  remained  so  three  days,  Friday, 
the  Sabbath,  and  the  Lord's  day.  Then  I  was  terrified,  and 
went  up  to  him  on  the  pillar,  and  stood  before  his  face,  and 
said,  '  Master,  arise !  bless  us,  for  the  people  have  been  wait- 
ing three  days  and  nights  for  a  blessing  from  thee.'  But  he 
answered  me  not,  so  I  said  to  him  again,  '  Wherefore  dost 
thou  grieve  me,  my  lord  !  I  beseech  thee,  put  out  thy 
hand  to  me.'  And  seeing  that  he  did  not  answer,  I  thought 
to  tell  no  one ;  for  I  feared  to  touch  him,  and  standing 
about  half-an-hour,  I  bent  down,  and  put  my  ear  to  listen  ; 
and  there  was  no  breathing.  And  so  I  understood  that  he 
rested  in  the  Lord  ;  and  turning  faint,  I  wept  most  bitterly  ; 
and  bending  down,  I  kissed  his  eyes  ;  and  I  cried,  '  Master, 
remember  me  in  thy  holy  rest'  And  lifting  up  his  gar- 
ments, I  fell  at  his  feet,  and  kissed  them,  and  holding  his 
hands,  I  laid  them  on  my  eyes,  saying,  '  Bless  me,  I  beseech 
thee,  my  lord  !'  " 

The  body  was  taken  to  Antioch,  and  there  buried  with 
great  pomp. 


S.  EDWARD  THE  CONFESSOR,  K. 

[S.  Edward  is  commemorated  on  this  day  in  the  Roman  Martyrology,  by 
order  of  Innocent  IV.  On  this  day,  he  is  mentioned  in  the  old  English 
Martyrologies  as  well,  but  the  festival  of  his  Translation,  Oct.  13th,  is 
that  which  is  chiefly  observed  in  his  honour,  and  to  that  day  we  shall 
refer  our  readers  for  his  life.] 


* $ 


Januarys.]  ,£     Gerldck.  8l 

S.  GERLACH,  H. 
(about  i  i  70.) 

[Mentioned  in  the  Cologne,  German,  and  Gallo-Belgic  Martyrologies. 
Two  lives  of  this  Saint  exist,  one  written  during  the  life  of  those  who 
remembered  him,  and  were  able  to  describe  his  personal  appearance  ;  the 
other  written  by  Wilhelm  Cripius,  son  of  the  Chancellor  of  Gueldres,  by 
command  of  the  bishop,  Henry  Cuyck,  of  Roermund.] 

Saint  Gerlach  sprang  from  a  noble  family,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Maestricht.  He  was  a  knight,  and  lived  a 
somewhat  disorderly  life  ;  but  one  day,  as  he  was  about  to 
engage  in  a  tournament,  the  news  reached  him  of  the  sudden 
death  of  his  wife,  whom  he  loved  passionately.  Casting  aside 
lance  and  shield,  he  hastened  to  his  castle,  and  in  grief  over 
her  loss,  formed  the  resolution  of  renouncing  the  world. 
He  visited  Rome,  and  confessed  the  sins  of  his  life  to  Pope 
Eugenius  III.,  who  bade  him,  as  a  penance,  go  to  Jerusalem, 
and  for  seven  years  nurse  the  sick  in  its  hospitals.  He 
obeyed,  and  on  his  return  to  Rome,  at  the  expiration 
of  seven  years,  found  Adrian  IV.  on  the  throne.  Adrian 
bade  him  live  a  retired  life.  Accordingly,  Gerlach  returned 
to  his  estates,  and  distributed  all  his  possessions  among  the 
poor,  reserving  for  himself  only  sufficient  for  his  support. 
He  then  took  up  his  abode  in  a  hollow  oak;  but  some 
envious  persons  having  complained  to  the  Bishop  of  Liege 
that  he  offered  idolatrous  worship  to  the  tree,  the  bishop 
ordered  it  to  be  cut  down ;  but  afterwards,  recognizing  the 
virtue  of  the  penitent  knight,  he  became  his  protector. 
He  wore  sack-cloth  next  his  skin,  and  over  that  a  battered 
suit  of  mail.  He  spent  his  nights  in  prayer,  in  the  church 
of  S.  Servais,  Maestricht. 


VOL.    I.  O 


*- 


-* 


82  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  6. 


January  6. 

Wi)t  iEpipfjang. 

S.  Mklchior,  ot!«  of  the  Magi. 

S.  Macra,  f.  M.,  near  Rheimi,  circ.  a.d.  303. 

S.  Milanius,  B.  of  Rennet,  A.D.  iZo. 

S.  Peter,  Ab.  of  Canterbury,  a.d.  608. 

S.  Krminold,  Ab.  of  Prufening,  and  M.,  a.d.  nil, 

The  Ven.  Gertrude  Van  Oostin,  V.,  at  Delft,  a.d.  1358. 

S.  John  Ribeira,  Pair,  of  Antioch,  and  Abp.  of  Valencia,  in  Spain,  A.D.  1611 

THE  EPIPHANY. 

[HE  principal  design  of  the  Church  in  celebrating 
this  feast  is,  that  her  members  may  show  grati- 
tude to  God  for  manifesting  the  Gospel  to  the 
Gentile  world,  and  vouchsafing  to  it  the  same 
privileges  as  to  the  Jews,  who  had  hitherto  been  His  chosen 
and  peculiar  people  ;  the  first  instance  of  this  divine  favour 
was  the  Manifestation  of  Christ  to  the  Wise  Men  of  the 
East.  But,  in  all,  there  are  three  great  manifestations  of  our 
Saviour  commemorated  on  this  day ;  all  of  which,  S.  Chrys- 
ostom  says,  happened  on  the  same  day,  though  not  in  the 
same  year.  The  first  of  these  was  His  manifestation  by  a 
star,  which  conducted  the  Magi  to  come  and  worship  Him. 
The  second  Manifestation  was  that  of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  at 
His  Baptism.  The  third  was  the  Manifestation  of  the 
Divinity  of  Christ,  at  Cana,  by  miraculously  changing  water 
into  wine. 

But  the  principal  event  which  is  this  day  celebrated,  is  the 
Manifestation  of  our  Lord  to  the  Wise  Men  of  the  East. 
These,  who  are  called  Magi  in  Greek,  were  doubtless  men 
of  high  rank.  Tradition  holds  them  to  have  been  princes 
or  kings  ;  and  they  are  given  the  names  of  Gaspar,  Melchior, 

* * 


THE    EPIPHANY. 

From  the  Vienna  Missal. 


Jan.,  p.  82.] 


[Jan.  6. 


%— — * 

Januarys.]  The  Epiphany.  83 

and  Balthasar.  They  are  said  to  have  been  baptized  by  the 
Apostle  Thomas,  and  to  have  preached  the  Gospel  in  Persia. 
Their  bodies  were  brought  by  the  first  Christian  emperors 
from  the  East  to  Constantinople,  whence  they  were  conveyed 
to  Milan.  But  the  Emperor  Frederick  I.  carried  them  off 
to  Cologne,  in  1162,  where  they  still  remain. 

Many  very  curious  traditions,  of  no  authority,  have 
attached  to  these  three  holy  men.  They  were  said  to  have 
been  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japhet,  who  had  fallen  asleep  in  a 
cave,  and  to  have  woke  only  at  the  Nativity  of  Christ,  when 
they  came  to  adore  Him;  and  then  to  have  returned  to  their 
cave  and  died.  A  much  more  trustworthy  tradition  is  to 
the  effect  that  each  wise  man  belonged  to  a  different  stock ; 
that  one  was  of  the  seed  of  Shem,  another  of  the  family  of 
Japhet,  and  that  the  third,  represented  in  art  as  black, 
belonged  to  the  descendants  of  Ham.  The  three  names 
Caspar,  Melchior,  and  Balthazar,  are  not  found  in  any  writers 
earlier  than  the  twelfth  century.  Before  Pope  S.  Leo  the 
Great  spoke  of  them  as  three,  the  number  was  sometimes 
supposed  to  have  been  as  many  as  twelve.  Barhebrseus 
says,  "  Magi  came  from  the  East.  Some  affirm  that  three 
princes  came  with  a  thousand  men ;  but  James,  the  bishop 
(of  Edessa,)  said  that  there  were  twelve  princes,  who,  having 
left  seven  thousand  soldiers  at  the  Euphrates,  came  on  with 
a  thousand  men  to  Jerusalem." 

Some  authors  have  suggested  that  the  seeming  star,  which 
appeared  to  the  Magi  in  the  East,  might  be  that  glorious 
Light  which  shone  upon  the  shepherds  of  Bethlehem,  when 
the  angel  came  to  impart  to  them  the  tidings  of  our  Saviour's 
birth,  which,  at  a  distance,  might  appear  like  a  star.  Accord- 
ing to  an  ancient  commentary  on  S.  Matthew,  this  star,  on 
its  first  appearance  to  the  wise  men,  had  the  form  of  a 
radiant  child,  bearing  a  sceptre  or  cross ;  and  in  some  early 
Italian  frescoes  it  is  thus  depicted  : — 

& 4< 


X * 

84  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  0. 

"  In  a  trice  a  star  shone  forth 
Oh  !  so  brightly  shining  1 
Nearer,  nearer  yet  it  came, 
Still  towards  earth  inclining  ; 
And  '  twas  shaped — O  !  wondrous  sight ! 
Like  a  child  with  visage  bright, 
Holding  sign  of  kindly  might, 
With  a  Cross  combining." 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  the  Epiphany,  containing  in  itself, 
as  has  been  observed,  three  distinct  festivals,  would  be 
known  by  a  variety  of  distinct  names.  In  the  Mozarabic 
ritual  it  is  called  the  "  Apparition  of  the  Lord  ;"  in  Germany 
it  is  the  "  Three-Kings'  Day." 

The  Greeks  keep  the  Nativity  and  the  Manifestation  to 
the  Wise  Men  on  the  same  day,  the  25th  December,  and 
keep  the  6th  January  as  the  festival  of  the  Baptism  of  our 
Lord. 

The  first  historical  notice  of  the  Epiphany  is  found  in  S. 
Clement  of  Alexandria,  a.d.  200  ;  in  the  time  of  S.  Chrys- 
ostom,  a.d.  400,  it  is  mentioned  as  an  ancient  and  principal 
festival  of  the  Asiatic  Church.  The  earliest  distinct  trace  of 
it  in  the  West  is  found  in  Gaul,  in  the  middle  of  the  fourth 
century.  Ammianus  Marcellinus  (xxi.  2),  relates  of  Julian 
the  Apostate,  that  in  a.d.  361,  he  celebrated  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church  at  Paris,  the  feast  of  the  Epiphany  in  January, 
shortly  before  he  publicly  renounced  the  Christian  religion. 
The  title  of  Day  of  Lights  was  given  to  this  festival 
as  commemorating  the  earthly  manifestation  of  the  Light 
of  the  World,  and  also  because  it  was  the  supposed  day  of 
the  Baptism  of  our  Lord,  to  which  rite  the  term  "  illumi- 
nation "  was  especially  given.  Hence  it  became,  and  in 
the  Greek  Church  it  is  still,  one  of  the  three  solemn 
times  of  baptism. 

Greek  Hymn. — O  Christ,  the  True  Light,  which  lighteth 
every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world,  let  the  Light  of  Thy 

& — * 


-* 


January  6 j       SS.  Macra  and  Melanius.  85 

Countenance  shine  upon  us,  that  thereby  we  may  behold 
the  unapproachable  Light,  and  guide  Thou  our  steps  to 
fulfil  Thy  Commandments. 

S.  MACRA,  V.  M. 

(about  303.) 

[Mentioned  in  the  Roman  and  German  Martyrologies.  The  account  of 
her  martyrdom  is  from  the  Martyrologies,  and  from  her  Acts,  published  by 
the  Bollandists.] 

During  the  savage  persecutions  of  Diocletian  and  Maxi- 
mian,  emperors,  one  Rictiovarus  was  governor  at  Soissons, 
in  Gaul,  who  laboured  to  put  down  Christianity.  The  virgin 
Macra  was  treated  by  him  with  inhuman  barbarity ;  she  was 
exposed  to  fire,  her  breasts  were  cut  off,  and  she  was  rolled 
on  potsherds  and  coals ;  then,  spreading  out  her  hands,  she 
prayed,  "  O  Lord  Jesu  Christ,  who  madest  me  triumph  over 
the  chains  in  my  dungeon,  and  madest  the  fire  to  which  I 
was  exposed  as  sweet  as  dew,  I  pray  Thee,  receive  my  souL 
for  now  is  the  time  come  for  Thee  to  set  my  spirit  free  !" 
So  saying,  she  entered  into  her  rest. 

She  is  regarded  as  the  patroness  of  Fimes,  near  Rheims. 

In  art,  she  is  represented  with  her  breasts  on  a  book 
which  she  carries. 


S.  MELANIUS,  B.  OF  RENNES. 

(A.D.  580.) 

[Commemorated  in  the  Roman  Martyro'.ogy  en  this  day.     His  life  was 
written  by  a  contemporary,  according  to  Ducange.] 

S.  Melanius  was  born  at  Plas,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Vannes,  in  Brittany,  and  became  a  monk  when  grown  to 
man's  estate.     Upon    the  death  of  S.  Amandus,  Bishop  of 

j% — gi 


86  Lives  of  the  Saints.  uan«ar>  6. 

Rennes,  he  was  compelled  by  the  clergy  and  people  to 
fill  that  see.  He  accepted  the  election  of  himself  with 
great  reluctance.  He  is  related  to  have  performed  many 
miracles,  and  to  have  extirpated  the  last  remnants  of 
heathenism  in  his  diocese.  He  died  on  a  journey  through 
his  diocese,  at  La  Vilaine.  His  body  was  placed  in  a  boat, 
which,  says  the  legend,  returned  to  Rennes  against  the 
stream,  without  oars  or  sail. 


S.  PETER,  AB.  OF  CANTERBURY. 

(a.d.  608.) 

[Named  in  the  English  Martyrologies.  Authority  for  his  life,  Rede. 
Hist.  Eccl.,  i.  33.] 

Bede  says  of  this  Saint,  that  he  was  a  disciple  of  S.  Gre- 
gory the  Great,  and  first  abbot  of  the  monastery  of  S.  Peter, 
at  Canterbury,  which  was  in  later  years  called  S.  Augustine's 
monastery.  Going  to  France  in  608,  he  was  drowned  near 
the  harbour  of  Ambleteuse,  near  Boulogne.  The  peasants 
of  the  place  buried  the  body  without  much  regard,  not 
knowing  at  first  whose  it  was,  but  by  night  a  light  appeared 
above  it ;  and,  perceiving  that  the  drowned  man  was  a  Saint, 
his  body  was  exhumed,  and  conveyed  to  Boulogne. 


S.  ERMINOLD,  AB.  OF  PRUFENING,  AND  M. 
(a.d.  1 121.) 

[Mentioned  in  the  German  Martyrologies.     His  life  was  written   by  a 
monk  of  Prufening,  about  the  year  1290.  J 

S.    Erminold   sprang   from  one  of  the  first  families   in 
Swabia,  and  was  given  in  early  life  to  William,    abbot   of 

j, . 4, 


ADORATION    OF   TIIK    M.V  ,1. 


an.,  p.  87. _ 


Ian.  6. 


*- 


-* 


January  6.] 


S.  Erminold. 


87 


Hirschau,  to  be  educated.  A  better  tutor  could  not  have 
been  found  for  him,  for  William  was  one  of  the  most  learned 
and  pious  men  of  the  age.  The  youthful  Erminold  made 
rapid  progress  in  his  studies,  and  he  grew  up  in  favour  with 
God  and  man.  When  his  pupilage  was  ended,  he  took  the 
vows  of  monastic  life  upon  him.  In  1 1 10,  he  was  appointed 
by  the  Emperor  Henry  V.,  to  the  abbey  of  Lorch,  on  the 
Rhine;  but  hearing  that  this  had  been  given  him  at  the 
request  of  his  brother,  as  a  return  for  something  his  brother 
had  done  for  the  Emperor,  Erminold  threw  up  the  office,  so 
as  not  to  incur  the  least  suspicion  of  simony,  and  returned 
to  Hirschau.  But  the  Bishop  of  Bamberg,  having  founded 
an  abbey  at  Prufening,  near  Ratisbon,  he  was  invited  to 
colonize  it,  and  be  its  first  father.  He  accordingly  betook 
himself  thither,  with  a  few  brethren.  Having  incurred  the 
hostility  of  some  of  his  monks,  by  insisting  on  strict  dis- 
cipline, one,  named  Aaron,  struck  him  with  a  knife  and 
mortally  wounded  him.     He  died,  forgiving  his  murderer. 


Worshippers  at  the  Shrine  of  a  Saint. 


*- 


* 


*- 


* 


88  Lives  of  the  Saints.  c January  ?. 


January  7. 

S.  Lucian,  P.  M.,  at  Antioch,  circ.  a.d.  31J. 

S.  Nicbias,  B.  C,  circ.  a.d.  403. 

S.  Valentine,  B.  of  Passau,  circ.  a.d.  440. 

S.  Cedd,  B.  of  London,  A.n.  664. 

S.  Tyli.o,  Monk  in  Gaul,  circ.  700. 

B.  Whtekind,  Duke  of  Westphalia,  A.n.  Soo. 

S.  Rainold,  Monk  and  M.,  of  Dortmund,  in  Westphalia. 

S.  Aldric,  B.  of  Le  Mans,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  855. 

S.  Canute,  Duke  of  Schles-wig,  a.d.  1133. 

S.  LUCIAN,  P.  M.,  OF  ANTIOCH. 
(about  312.) 

[Commemorated  on  this  day  by  the  Latins,  on  the  15th  October  by  the 
Greeks.  This  S.  Lucian  is  not  to  be  confused  with  S.  Lucian  of  Beauvais, 
commemorated  on  Jan.  8th.  He  is  spoken  of  by  S.  Jerome  and  Theodoret. 
S.  Chrysostom  has  a  homily  on  S.  Lucian.  Information  concerning  him 
is  also  obtained  from  the  Greek  Menasa,  and  from  the  Acts  of  his  martyr- 
dom in  Metaphrastes.] 

[AINT  LUCIAN  was  born  at  Samosata,  in  Syria  ; 
his  parents  were  Christians,  and  sought  above  all 
things  to  educate  their  son  in  the  fear  of  God. 
Both  died  and  left  him  an  orphan  at  the  age  of 
twelve,  and  the  boy,  in  his  desolation,  distributed  his  goods 
to  the  poor,  and  took  refuge  with  Macarius  at  Edessa,  who 
taught  out  of  Holy  Scripture  the  things  concerning  eternal 
life.  Arrived  at  man's  estate,  he  was  ordained  priest,  and 
opened  a  school  at  Antioch,  and  diligently  laboured  at  pro- 
curing a  correct  version  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  by  com- 
paring together  the  different  Hebrew  copies.  His  version 
of  the  sacred  writings  was  used  by  S.  Jerome,  and  proved 
of  much  assistance  to  him  in  his  work  of  writing  the  Vulgate. 
When  Maximian  persecuted  the  Church,  S.  Lucian  con- 
cealed himself,  but  was  betrayed  by  a  Sabellian  priest  into 


*- 


-* 


* * 

January?]  vS.     Lucidlt.  89 

the  hands  of  the  persecutors ;  he  was  taken  to  Nicomedia, 
and  brought  before  Maximian.  On  his  way  he  was  the 
means  of  recovering  forty  Christian  soldiers,  who  had  lapsed. 
In  Nicomedia  he  was  subjected  to  torture.  His  feet  were 
placed  in  the  stocks,  which  were  distended,  so  as  to  dislocate 
his  legs.  His  hands  were  fastened  to  a  beam,  which  was 
above  his  head,  and  he  was  laid  on  sharp  potsherds,  so  that 
his  back  was  lacerated  and  pierced.  After  this,  he  was 
allowed  to  lie  on  his  cell  floor,  unable  to  rise,  on  account  of 
his  legs  being  out  of  joint,  and  was  starved  to  death.  He 
lingered  fourteen  days.  And  when  the  feast  of  the  Mani- 
festation drew  nigh,  he  desired  greatly  to  receive  the  Holy 
Eucharist.  "When  the  fatal  day  had  arrived,  which  was 
looked  forward  to,  some  of  the  disciples  desired  to  receive 
from  their  master  his  last  celebration  of  the  divine  mystery. 
But  it  seemed  doubtful  how  they  might  bring  a  table  into 
the  prison,  and  how  they  might  conceal  it  from  the  eyes  of 
the  impious.  But  when  many  of  the  disciples  were 
assembled,  and  others  were  arriving,  he  said  :  '  This  breast 
of  mine  shall  be  the  table,  and  I  reckon  it  will  not  be  less 
esteemed  of  God  than  one  of  inanimate  material ;  and  ye 
shall  be  a  holy  temple,  standing  round  about  me.'  And  thus 
it  was  accomplished,  for  because  the  saintly  man  was  at  the 
end  of  his  life,  the  guards  were  negligent,  and  so  God,  as  I 
think,  to  honour  his  martyr,  removed  all  impediments  to  that 
being  done  which  was  proposed.  For  when  all  stood  in 
close  ring  round  the  martyr,  so  that  one  standing  by  the 
other  shut  him  completely  from  view,  he  ordered  the  sym- 
bols of  the  divine  Sacrifice  to  be  placed  on  his  breast  After 
that  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  uttered  the  accustomed 
prayers.  Then,  when  he  had  uttered  many  sacred  prayers, 
and  had  done  all  the  requisite  acts  in  the  sacred  rite,  he  and 
the  rest  communicated,  and  he  sent  to  those  who  were 
absent,   as  he   himself  shows   in  his  last  Epistle  to  them. 

£< ^ 


90  Lives  of  the  Saints.  l  January ». 

Next  day  some  officers  came  from  the  Emperor  to  see  if  he 
were  still  alive.  And  as  he  saw  them  standing  about  him,  he 
said  thrice,  '  I  am  a  Christian/  and  so  saying,  he  died." 

The  body  was  then  thrown  into  the  sea,  to  the  great  grief 
of  his  disciples,  who  desired  to  bury  it.  But  fifteen  days 
after  it  was  recovered.  A  legend  says  that  a  dolphin  brought 
it  ashore ;  be  that  as  it  may,  it  was  found  and  was  buried. 

In  art,  S.  Lucian  is  sometimes  represented  with  a  chalice 
and  Host,  in  allusion  to  his  offering  the  holy  Sacrifice  in 
prison ;  sometimes  with  a  dolphin  at  his  side. 


S.  VALENTINE,  B.  OF  PASSAU. 
(about  440.) 

[Some  German  Martyrologies,  and  the  Roman,  commemorate  S.  Maxi- 
milian, M.,  and  S.  Valentine,  B.C.,  on  Oct.  29.  But  S.  Valentine  is  comme- 
morated alone  on  this  day  at  Passau.] 

Valentine  was  sent  by  the  Pope  to  preach  the  Gospel  in 
the  Passau.  He  found  that  his  work  was  without  fruit,  and 
returned  to  Rome  to  implore  the  Holy  Father  to  send  him 
elsewhere.  But  the  Pope  consecrated  him  bishop,  and  sent 
him  back  to  Passau,  to  preach  in  season  and  out  of  season, 
whether  it  produced  fruit  or  not.  The  Bishop  renewed  his 
efforts,  but  the  Pagans  and  Arians  combined  to  drive  him 
out  of  the  city.  Thereupon  he  went  among  the  Rhsetian 
Alps,  and  his  teaching  produced  abundant  fruit  among  the 
mountaineers.  At  length  he  resolved  to  serve  God,  and 
purify  his  own  soul,  in  a  life  of  retirement.  He  therefore 
built  a  little  chapel  and  monastery  at  Mais,  in  Tyrol,  and 
there  he  died. 

Relics,  at  Passau. 

* —  & 


S.    CEDD. 


Jan.,  p.  91. J 


[Jan.  7. 


* « 

January?.]  ,£     Cedci.  91 

S.  CEDD,  B.  OF  LONDON. 
(a.d.  664.) 

.[English  Martyrologies.     His  life  is  given  by  Bede,  in  his  Ecclesiastical 
History,  lib.  3,  caps.  21,  22,  23.] 

Peada,  son  of  Penda,  King  of  Mercia,  being  appointed 
by  his  father  King  of  the  Midland  English,  by  which  name 
Bede  distinguished  the  inhabitants  of  Leicestershire,  and 
part  of  Lincolnshire  and  Derbyshire,  from  the  rest  of  the 
Mercians ;  the  young  king  visited  Oswy,  King  of  Northum- 
bria,  at  Atwell,  or  Walton,  was  baptized  along  with  several 
of  his  nobles,  by  Bishop  Finan,  and  was  provided  by 
Oswy  with  two  priests  to  instruct  his  people  in  Christianity. 
One  of  these  was  S.  Cedd,  who  had  been  trained  in  the 
monastery  of  Lindisfarne.  "When  these  two,"  says  Bede, 
"  travelling  to  all  parts  of  that  country,  had  gathered  a 
numerous  church  to  the  Lord,  it  happened  that  Cedd 
returned  home,  and  came  to  the  church  of  Lindisfarne  to 
confer  with  Bishop  Finan ;  who,  finding  how  successful  he 
had  been  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel,  made  him  Bishop  of 
the  Church  of  the  East  Saxons,  calling  to  him  two  other 
bishops,  to  assist  at  the  ordination.  Cedd,  having  received 
the  episcopal  dignity,  returned  to  his  province,  and  pursuing 
the  work  he  had  begun,  with  more  ample  authority,  built 
churches  in  several  places,  ordaining  priests  and  deacons  to 
assist  him  in  the  work  of  faith,  and  the  ministry  of  baptizing, 
especially  in  the  city  which,  in  the  language  of  the  Saxons, 
is  called  Ithancester,1  as  also  in  that  named  Tilabury 
(Tilbury) ;  the  first  of  which  places  is  on  the  bank  of  the 
Pante,  the  other  on  the  bank  of  the  Thames ;  where,  gathering 
a  flock  of  servants  of  Christ,  he  taught  them  to  observe  the 
discipline  of  regular  life,  as  far  as  those  rude  people  were 
then  capable. 

1  On  the  Blackwater ;  there  is  no  city  there  now,  hut  numerous  traces  of  an 
ancient  settlement,  and  an  old  chapel  marks  the  site,  in  the  parish  of  Bradwell. 

^ . . .. . . —^ 


,£_ £t 

92  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January?. 

"Whilst  the  doctrine  of  everlasting  life  was  thus,  for 
a  considerable  time,  making  progress,  to  the  joy  of 
the  King  and  of  all  the  people,  it  happened  that  the  King, 
at  the  instigation  of  the  enemy  of  all  good  men,  was  mur- 
dered by  his  own  kindred.  The  same  man  of  God,  whilst 
he  was  bishop  among  the  East  Saxons,  was  wont  also  to 
visit,  at  intervals,  his  own  country,  Northumberland,  to  make 
exhortations.  Ethelwald,  the  son  of  King  Oswald,  who 
reigned  over  the  Deiri,  finding  him  a  holy,  wise,  and  good 
man,  desired  him  to  accept  some  land  to  build  a  monastery, 
to  which  the  King  himself  might  frequently  resort,  to  offer 
his  prayers  and  hear  the  word,  and  be  buried  in  it  when  he 
died ;  for  he  believed  that  he  should  receive  much  benefit 
by  the  prayers  of  those  who  were  to  serve  God  in  that  place. 
The  King  had  before  with  him  a  brother  of  the  same 
bishop,  called  Celin,  a  man  no  less  devoted  to  God ;  who, 
being  a  priest,  was  wont  to  administer  to  him  the  word  and 
the  Sacraments,  by  whose  means  he  chiefly  came  to  know 
and  love  the  bishop. 

"  That  prelate,  therefore,  complying  with  the  King's 
desires,  chose  himself  a  place  to  build  a  monastery  among 
craggy  and  distant  mountains,  which  looked  more  like 
lurking  places  for  robbers,  and  retreats  for  wild  beasts, 
than  habitations  for  men.  The  man  of  God,  desiring 
first  to  cleanse  the  place  for  the  monastery  from  former 
crimes,  by  prayer  and  fasting,  that  it  might  become 
acceptable  to  our  Lord,  and  so  to  lay  the  foundations, 
requested  the  King  to  give  him  leave  to  reside  there  all  the 
approaching  Lent,  to  pray.  All  which  time,  except  Sundays, 
he  fasted  till  the  evening,  according  to  custom,  and  then 
took  no  other  sustenance  than  a  little  bread,  one  egg,  and 
a  little  milk  mixed  with  water.  This,  he  said,  was  the 
custom  of  those  of  whom  he  had  learnt  the  rule  of  regular 
discipline  ;    first,  to  consecrate  to  our  Lord,  by  prayer  and 

* * 


* 

January?-]  S.     Cedd.  93 

fasting,  the  places  which  they  had  newly  received  for  build- 
ing a  monastery  or  a  church.  When  there  were  ten  days  of 
Lent  still  remaining,  there  came  a  messenger  to  call  him  to 
the  King;  and  he,  that  the  religious  work  might  not  be 
intermitted,  on  account  of  the  King's  affairs,  entreated  his 
priest,  Cynebil,  who  was  also  his  own  brother,  to  complete 
that  which  had  been  so  piously  begun.  Cynebil  readily 
complied,  and  when  the  time  of  fasting  and  prayer  was  over, 
he  there  built  the  monastery,  which  is  now  called  Lestingan,1 
and  established  therein  the  religious  customs  of  Lindisfarne." 
At  this  time,  owing  to  the  influence  of  S.  Wilfrid,  who 
had  been  established  at  Ripon  by  Alchfrid,  son  of  King 
Oswy,  a  great  split  was  forming  in  the  Church,  which  made 
itself  felt  even  in  the  Royal  family.  All  the  missionaries  of 
the  north  had  been  brought  up  in  Iona,  or  Lindisfarne,  and 
followed  the  Keltic  ritual;  Wilfrid,  ordained  by  a  French 
bishop,  introduced  Roman  ways.  Oswy  had  been  baptized 
and  educated  by  Keltic  monks,  and  followed  the  usages  of 
the  Mother  Church  of  Iona ;  but  his  wife,  Eanfleda,  had 
learned  in  exile  Roman  ways,  and  she  brought  with  her  to  the 
court  of  Oswy  a  Canterbury  priest — Romanus  by  name,  and 
Roman  in  heart — who  guided  her  religious  exercises.  Two 
Easter  feasts  were  thus  celebrated  every  year  in  the  same 
house ;  and  as  the  Saxon  kings  had  transferred  to  the  chief 
festivals  of  the  Christian  year,  and  especially  to  the  Queen 
of  Feasts,  the  meeting  of  assemblies,  and  the  occasion  which 
those  assemblies  gave  them  of  displaying  all  their  pomp,  it  is 
easy  to  understand  how  painful  it  must  have  been  for  Oswy 
to  sit,  with  his  earls  and  thanes,  at  the  great  feast  of  Easter,  at 
the  end  of  a  wearisome  Lent,  and  to  see  the  Queen,  with 
her  maids  of  honour  and  her  servants,  persisting  in  fasting 
and  penance,  it  being  with  her  still  only  Palm  Sunday.2 
To  settle  this  difference,  and  prevent  a  rupture,  the  King 

1  Lastingham,  near  Pickering,  in  Yorkshire.  *  Bede  iii.  aj. 


* * 

94  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January?. 

convoked  a  parliament  at  Whitby,  in  664.  In  this  parlia- 
ment Colman,  Bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  Cedd,  Bishop  of  the 
East  Saxons,  who  had  at  this  time  re-established  the  episcopal 
see  of  London,  and  S.  Hilda,  the  great  abbess  of  Whitby,  up- 
held the  Keltic  rite.  On  the  other  side  were  S.  Wilfrid,  the 
young  Prince  Alchfrid,  and  James,  the  deacon  of  York.  In 
this  parliament,  it  was  decided  that  the  Roman  usages  should 
be  adopted,  and  Cedd  renounced  the  customs  of  Lindis- 
farne, in  which  he  had  been  educated,  and  returned  to  his 
diocese  of  London  to  spread  the  Roman  usages  there. 

"  Cedd,"  says  Bede,  "  for  many  years  had  charge  of  his 
bishopric  and  of  the  monastery  of  Lastingham,  over  which  he 
had  placed  superiors.  It  happened  that  he  came  there  at  the 
time  that  a  plague  was  raging,  and  he  fell  sick  and  died. 
He  was  first  buried  in  the  open  air,  but  in  process  of  time, 
a  church  of  stone  was  built  in  the  monastery,  in  honour  of 
the  Mother  of  God,  and  his  body  was  interred  in  the  same, 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  altar." 

The  Bishop  left  the  monastery  to  be  governed  after  him 
by  his  brother  Chad,  who  was  afterwards  made  bishop.  For 
the  four  brothers,  Cedd,  and  Cynebil,  Celin,  and  Ceadda 
(Chad) — which  is  a  rare  thing  to  be  met  with — were  all  cele- 
brated priests  of  our  Lord,  and  two  of  them  also  came  to  be 
bishops. 

S.  TYLLO,  H. 
(about  700.) 

[Cologne,  German,  and  Belgian  Martyrologies.  The  name  is  sometimes 
Tyllo,  Thillo,  or  Hillo ;  in  Belgium,  Theaulon  or  Tilman.  Authority  :  A  life 
published  in  the  Bollandists,  which  agrees  with  scattered  notices  of  him  in 
various  writers.] 

S.  Tillo,  the  Patron  of  Iseghem,  in  Belgium,  was  a  son 
of  Saxon  parents,  but  was  stolen,  when  young,  from  his 
home,  and  sold  as  a  slave  in  Gaul.     S.    Eligius,  who   re- 

* ■ 


* * 

January  7.]  .S.      Tyllo.  95 

deemed  many  slaves,  bought  the  lad,  and  being  struck  with 
his  beauty  and  intelligence,  sent  him  to  the  monastery  of 
Solignac,  to  be  educated  by  S.  Remacle,  then  abbot  of 
Solignac.  After  his  education  was  complete,  he  was  re- 
turned to  S.  Eligius,  who  was  a  goldsmith,  patronized  by 
King  Dagobert  and  the  nobles  of  the  court.  With  him 
Tillo  learned  the  trade  of  a  goldsmith,  and  made  many 
vessels  and  ornaments  of  gold  and  silver,  encrusted  with 
gems,  for  the  King.  Whilst  he  worked,  he  had  the  Holy 
Scriptures  open  before  him,  and  as  he  chased  the  silver  and 
gold  he  studied  the  Word  of  God.  He  kept  ever  in  his 
heart  the  maxim,  "  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do 
to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them,"  and  all  his  work  was  done 
to  the  best  of  his  ability,  and  executed  with  punctuality. 
Thus,  he  found  favour  with  Eligius,  and  with  all  the 
customers  of  his  master.  When  Eligius  left  his  shop,  and 
became  a  bishop,  he  called  to  the  clerical  office  and  to  the 
religious  life,  his  apprentice  whom  he  had  bought  in  the 
market  many  years  before.  Tillo,  as  priest  and  monk, 
showed  a  pattern  of  holiness,  and  was  made  abbot  of 
Solignac,  near  Limoges.  But  ruling  three  hundred  monks 
and  attending  to  the  worldly  affairs  of  a  great  monastery, 
and  more  than  that,  the  multitude  of  visitors,  made  the  life 
one  for  which  the  goldsmith's  apprentice,  trained  to  work 
in  silence,  and  think  and  read,  felt  himself  unfitted ;  so  one 
night  he  fled  away  and  was  lost.  He  penetrated  the  woods 
and  mountains  of  Auvergne,  seeking  out  a  suitable  spot 
for  a  hermitage,  and  one  day  he  lit  upon  a  quiet  place,  hid 
away  among  the  rocky  mountains,  into  which  he  could  only 
just  crawl  on  hands  and  knees.  Having  got  in,  he  found 
a  pleasant  glade,  surrounded  with  trees,  having  streams 
watering  it  from  the  mountain  side,  and  there  were  plenty  of 
apple  trees,  from  which  he  concluded  it  had  been  previously 
a  hermitage.     Here  he  lived  for  some  time,  praying  and 

* — ■ — — ■ * 


%, i£ 

96  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January ». 

reading,  and  tilling  the  soil.  By  degrees,  it  was  rumoured 
that  a  holy  hermit  lived  in  that  glade,  and  the  people  of  the 
neighbourhood  came  to  see  him,  and  he  called  himself 
Brother  Paul.  And  to  all  who  visited  him  this  was  the  rule 
of  life  he  gave,  "Believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  and 
in  Jesus  Christ  his  Son,  also  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  three  per- 
sons, but  one  God.  Keep  your  mind  from  vain  cogitations 
and  your  body  pure  from  all  uncleanness ;  avoid  self-conceit, 
and  be  instant  in  prayer." 

And  when  there  was  ever  more  and  more  of  a  concourse, 
and  many  desired  to  put  themselves  under  his  direction,  he 
went  forth,  and  sought  out  a  suitable  spot,  and  found  it  at 
Bayac,  where  he  founded  a  monastery.  There  he  remained 
some  while,  till  a  longing  came  over  him  to  revisit  Solignac, 
and  he  fled  away  when  all  his  monks  were  asleep,  as  he  had 
fled  previously  from  Solignac.  And  when  he  reached 
Solignac,  he  was  received  with  great  joy.  Then  he  asked 
the  abbot  Gundebert  to  build  him  a  little  cell  outside  the 
monastery,  in  which  he  might  reside  with  one  or  two  of  the 
brethren  who  sought  a  stricter  life.  His  wish  was  granted, 
and  in  this  cell  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  days. 

He  is  regarded  with  special  veneration  at  Iseghem,  in 
Flanders,  because  he  visited  that  place  in  company  with  S. 
Eligius,  and  there  remained  some  time  teaching  the  people. 

In  art,  he  is  represented  with  a  chalice  in  one  hand  and 
an  abbatial  staff  in  the  other. 


S.    ALDRIC,    B.  OF  MANS. 
(a.d.  855.) 

fGallican  Martyrology.    Ancient  Life  in  Baluze  :  Miscel.  Hi.] 

S.  Aldric  was  born  about  the  year  800.     When  aged 
fourteen  his  father  sent  him  to  the  court  of  Louis  the  Pious. 

* 


January  7.]  S.   Canute  Lavard.  97 

One  day,  as  he  was  praying  in  church  at  Aix-la-Chapelle,  he 
felt  called  by  God  to  leave  a  life  in  the  world,  and  dedicate 
himself  to  the  service  of  the  altar.  With  difficulty  he  per- 
suaded the  King  to  let  him  depart,  and  he  was  sent  to  the 
Bishop  of  Metz.  There  he  remained  some  years,  received 
the  tonsure,  and  was  ordained  priest 

Louis  the  Pious,  hearing  of  the  wisdom  and  sanctity  of 
Aldric,  appointed  him  to  be  his  chaplain  and  confessor. 
Aldric  was  afterwards  elected  Bishop  of  Mans,  and  was  con- 
secrated on  the  22nd  December,  832.  When  raised  to  the 
episcopal  throne,  he  kept  a  stricter  guard  over  himself,  and 
treated  his  body  with  great  rigour,  but  to  others  he  was 
gentle  and  lenient.  All  his  income  was  spent  in  works  of 
mercy.  He  redeemed  captives,  relieved  the  poor,  built 
churches,  and  founded  monasteries.  In  the  civil  wars  which 
divided  the  French  monarchy,  his  fidelity  to  his  prince  and  to 
Charles  the  Bald,  his  successor,  involved  him  in  trouble,  and 
he  was  expelled  for  about  a  twelvemonth  from  his  see.  On 
his  return,  he  laboured  more  indefatigably  than  ever  to 
perfect  the  discipline  of  his  diocese,  for  which  purpose  he 
collected  the  canons  of  Councils  and  decrees  of  the  Popes 
into  what  he  called  a  Capitulary.  Some  fragments  have 
reached  us  of  the  regulations  which  he  made  for  the  cele- 
bration of  divine  service ;  in  which  he  orders  ten  wax  candles, 
and  ninety  lamps,  to  be  lighted  in  his  Cathedral  on  all  great 
festivals. 


S.  CANUTE  LAVARD,  M. 
(a.d.  1 133.) 

[Schleswig  and  Scandinavian  Breviaries.     Life  in  Knytlinga  Saga,  Saxo 
Grammaticus,  Schleswig  Breviary,  &c] 

Canute  Lavard  was  second  son  of  Eric  the  Good,  King 
of  Denmark.     His  elder  brother,  Nicolas,  became  King  of 

vol.  1.                                                                             7 
* ■ g, 


*- 


* 


98 


Lives  of  the  Saints. 


[January  7 


Denmark,  though  he  was  illegitimate,  as  Canute  was  very 
young.  Nicolas  had  a  son  named  Magnus,  who  was  also 
brought  up  with  Canute.  Canute  purchased  the  duchy  of 
Schleswig,  and  occupied  himself  with  clearing  the  seas  and 
islands  of  Denmark  of  the  pirates  who  infested  them.  On 
one  occasion,  a  pirate  whom  he  had  captured,  and  con- 
demned with  others  to  be  hung,  cried  out  that  he  was  of 
royal  blood,  and  was  related  to  Canute.  "  Then,"  said  the 
duke,  "  you  shall  hang  at  the  topmast  head  above  the  others." 
Henry,  King  of  the  Sclaves,  being  dead,  Canute  succeeded 
him.  The  popularity  of  this  prince,  owing  to  his  gentleness, 
virtue,  and  piety,  stirred  up  the  envy  of  Magnus,  who  feared 
lest  he  should  put  in  a  claim  to  the  throne  of  Denmark,  to 
which  indeed  he  had  a  right  prior  to  Magnus  and  his  father. 
Tn  order  to  make  sure  of  the  succession,  Magnus  decoyed 
his  unsuspicious  kinsman  into  a  wood,  surrounded  him  with 
armed  men,  and  killed  him. 


*- 


-* 


January  8.]  S.     LtlCiatl.  99 


January  8. 

S.  Luc i av,  B.  .VI.,  and  Companions,  at  Beawvait. 

S.  Patiens,  5.  of  Metx,  circ.  a.d.  ija. 

S.  Atticus,  Patr.  of  Constantinople,  a.d.  425. 

S.  Ssverinus,  P.  and  Apostle:  of  Austria,  A.D.  4' a 

S.  Severinus,  it.  ft,  in  Italy,  6th  cent. 

B.  Baldwin,  Archdeacon  of  Laon,  M.,  6th  cent. 

S.  Frodobert,  Ab.,  at  Troyes,  'jth  cent. 

S.  Gudula,  V.,  at  Brussels,  circ.  a.d.  712 

S.  Pega,  y.,  in  England,  cite.  a.d.  718. 

S.  Erard,  Bishop  in  Ba-uaria,  8th  cent. 

S.  Garibald,  B.  of  Ratisbon,  circ.  a.d.  1251. 

S.  Wulsin,  B.  of  Sherbourn,  A.n.  983. 

S.  Laurence  Justi.niani,  Patr.  of  Venice,  a.d.  1455. 

S.  LUCIAN,  B.  M.  AT  BEAUVAIS. 

[Roman,  Gallican,  and  Anglican  Martyrologies  ;  Bede,  Ado,  Notker,  and 
others.  His  date  uncertain.  As  little  is  known  of  this  S.  Lucian,  it  is  prob- 
able that  the  so-called  Reformers  retained  his  name  in  the  Anglican  Calendar 
by  mistake,  confusing  him  with  the  S.  Lucian  of  Antioch,  Jan.  7th,  a  much 
better  known  Saint.] 

[HERE  is   much   uncertainty  about  this  martyr. 

Some  writers  maintain  that  he  was  a  disciple  of 

S.    Peter.      Others   say  that    he   was  sent  into 

Gaul    by    S.   Clement,    Bishop    of    Rome,    at 

the  end  of  the  first  century,  and  suffered  death  under  the 

reign  of  Domitian.     It  is  certain,  however,  that  he  came 

into   Gaul   to  preach   the   faith    to   the  pagan  inhabitants, 

and  that  he  finished  his  labours  at  Beauvais,  by  the  death  of 

a  martyr.     There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  he  was  of 

noble  Roman  blood,  and  that  he  accompanied  S.  Denys  of 

Paris,  or  S.  Quentin  of  Amiens,  on  his  mission,  about  the 

year    245.     S.   Lucian  was    accompanied    by   his   friends, 

Maximian  and  Julian.     They  suffered  in  different  places, 

and  on  different  days  ;  but  they  were  laid  by  faithful  disciples 

* % 


ioo  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January* 

in  one  tomb,  and  are  commemorated  together.  S.  Lucian  is 
called  in  some  calendars  a  priest ;  but  in  an  ancient  one  of  the 
ninth  century,  he  is  styled  a  bishop,  and  such  has  been  the 
constant  tradition  at  Beauvais. 

In  art,  he  is  represented  holding  his  head  in  his  hands. 

S.  P  ATI  ENS,   B. 

(about  a.d.  152.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  ;  Martyrologies  of  Cologne,  ofRabanus,  Notker, 
&c.     His  life  is  traditional.] 

S.  Patiens  is  said  to  have  been  a  disciple  of  S.  John  the 
Evangelist,  and  to  have  been  sent  by  him  into  Gaul.  He 
settled  at  Metz,  where  he  became  the  fourth  Bishop. 


S.  ATTICUS,   PATR.  OF  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

(a.d.  425.) 

[Roman  Martyrology,  that  of  Usuardus  and  the  German  Martyrolo- 
gies. Authorities  for  his  life,  very  numerous  :  Socrates,  Sozomen, 
Synesius,  Palladius,  Photius,  Nicephorus,  Zonaras,  &c] 

Atticus,  a  man  of  gentle  spirit  and  conciliatory  man- 
ners, succeeded  S.  Chrysostom  in  the  see  of  Constantinople. 
He,  at  first,  refused  to  admit  the  name  of  his  predecessor 
into  the  diptychs  ;  but  was  afterwards  moved  to  yield,  in 
accordance  with  the  Latin  Church,  which  refused  communion 
with  the  see  of  Constantinople  till  the  righteousness  of  the 
cause  of  the  great  Chrysostom  had  been  acknowledged. 
Atticus  was  engaged  in  correspondence  on  this  subject  with 
S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  who  vehemently  resented  the  admis- 
sion of  the  name  of  Chrysostom,  till  he  also  yielded  at  the 
instance  of  Isidore  of  Pelusium. 

* * 


*- 


-* 


January  8.]  S.     SeVeHnUS.  IOI 

S.  SEVERINUS,  P.  AP.  OF  NORICUM. 

(A.D     482.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  those  of  Germany.  The  life  of  S.  Severinus  was 
written  by  his  disciple,  Eugippius,  in  the  year  511,  as  he  states  in  a  letter  to 
Paschatius,  the  deacon.  The  following  life  is  extracted  from  Mr.  Kingsley's 
"Hermits,"'1  with  certain  necessary  modifications.  What  has  been  once 
well  done,  the  author  is  unwilling  to  do  again,  and  do  in  an  inferior 
manner.] 

In  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century  the  province  of  Noricum 
(Austria,  as  we  should  now  call  it),  was  the  very  highway  of 
invading  barbarians,  the  centre  of  the  human  Maelstrom,  in 
which  Huns,  Allemanni,  Rugii,  and  a  dozen  wild  tribes 
more,  wrestled  up  and  down,  and  round  the  starving  and  be- 
leaguered towns  of  what  had  once  been  a  happy  and  fertile 
province,  each  tribe  striving  to  trample  the  other  under 
foot,  and  to  march  southward,  over  their  corpses,  to  plunder 
what  was  still  left  of  the  already  plundered  wealth  of  Italy 
and  Rome.  The  difference  of  race,  of  tongue,  and  of 
manners,  between  the  conquered  and  their  conquerors,  was 
made  more  painful  by  difference  in  creed.  The  conquering 
Germans  and  Huns  were  either  Arians  or  heathens.  The 
conquered  race  (though  probably  of  very  mixed  blood),  who 
called  themselves  Romans,  because  they  spoke  Latin,  and 
lived  under  the  Roman  law,  were  orthodox  Catholics ;  and 
the  miseries  of  religious  persecution  were  too  often  added 
to  the  usual  miseries  of  invasion. 

It  was  about  the  year  455 — 60.  Attila,  the  great  King  of 
the  Huns,  who  called  himself — and  who  was — "  the  Scourge 
of  God,"  was  just  dead.  His  empire  had  broken  up.  The 
whole  centre  of  Europe  was  in  a  state  of  anarchy  and  war  ; 
and  the  hapless  Romans  along  the  Danube  were  in  the  last 
extremity  of  terror,  not  knowing  by  what  fresh  invader  their 
crops  would  be  swept  off  up  to  the  very  gates  of  the  walled 

1  "  The  Hermits,"  by  the  Rev.  C.  Kingsley.     Macmillan,  1869,  pp.  334,  339. 
* — g, 


* _ (J, 

1 02  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [>™«y& 

towers,  which  were  their  only  defence;  when  there  appeared 
among  them,  coming  out  of  the  East,  a  man  of  God. 

Who  he  was  he  would  not  tell.  His  speech  showed 
him  to  be  an  African  Roman — a  fellow-countryman  of  S. 
Augustine — probably  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Carthage. 
He  had  certainly  at  one  time  gone  to  some  desert  in  the 
East,  zealous  to  learn  "  the  more  perfect  life."  Severinus,  he 
said,  was  his  name  ;  a  name  which  indicated  high  rank,  as 
did  the  manners  and  the  scholarship  of  him  who  bore  it. 
But  more  than  his  name  he  would  not  tell.  "  If  you  take 
me  for  a  runaway  slave,"  he  said,  smiling,  "get  ready  money 
to  redeem  me  with  when  my  master  demands  me  back." 
For  he  believed  that  they  would  have  need  of  him ;  that 
God  had  sent  him  into  that  land  that  he  might  be  of  use  to 
its  wretched  people.  And  certainly  he  could  have  come  into 
the  neighbourhood  of  Vienna,  at  that  moment,  for  no  other 
purpose  than  to  do  good,  unless  he  came  to  deal  in  slaves. 

He  settled  first  at  a  town,  called  by  his  biographer  Cas- 
turis;  and,  lodging  with  the  warden  of  the  church,  lived 
quietly  the  hermit  life.  Meanwhile  the  German  tribes  were 
prowling  round  the  town ;  and  Severinus,  going  one  day  into 
the  church,  began  to  warn  the  priests  and  clergy,  and  all  the 
people,  that  a  destruction  was  coming  on  them  which  they 
could  only  avert  by  prayer,  and  fasting,  and  the  works  of 
mercy.  They  laughed  him  to  scorn,  confiding  in  their 
lofty  Roman  walls,  which  the  invaders — wild  horsemen, 
who  had  no  military  engines — were  unable  either  to  scale  or 
batter  down.  Severinus  left  the  town  at  once,  prophesying, 
it  was  said,  the  very  day  and  hour  of  its  fall.  He  went  on 
to  the  next  town,  which  was  then  closely  garrisoned  by  a 
barbarian  force,  and  repeated  his  warning  there  :  but  while 
the  people  were  listening  to  him,  there  came  an  old  man  to 
the  gate,  and  told  them  how  Casturis  had  been  already 
sacked,  as  the  man  of  God  had  foretold ;  and  going  into  the 

*- >i 


* * 

January  8.]  »£     SeVefZUUS.  IO3 

church,  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  S.  Severinus,  and  said 
that  he  had  been  saved  by  his  merits  from  being  destroyed 
with  his  fellow-townsmen. 

Then  the  dwellers  in  the  town  hearkened  to  the  man  of 
God,  and  gave  themselves  up  to  fasting,  and  almsgiving,  and 
prayer  for  three  whole  days. 

And  on  the  third  day,  when  the  solemnity  of  the  evening 
sacrifice  was  fulfilled,  a  sudden  earthquake  happened,  and 
the  barbarians,  seized  with  panic  fear,  and  probably  hating 
and  dreading — like  all  those  wild  tribes — confinement 
between  four  stone  walls,  instead  of  the  free  open  life  of  the 
tent  and  the  stockade,  forced  the  Romans  to  open  their 
gates  to  them,  rushed  out  into  the  night,  and,  in  their  mad- 
ness, slew  each  other. 

In  those  days  a  famine  fell  upon  the  people  of  Vienna ; 
and  they,  as  their  sole  remedy,  thought  good  to  send  for  the 
man  of  God  from  the  neighbouring  town.  He  went,  and 
preached  to  them,  too,  repentance  and  almsgiving.  The 
rich,  it  seems,  had  hidden  up  their  stores  of  corn,  and  left 
the  poor  to  starve.  At  least  S.  Severinus  discovered  (by 
divine  revelation,  it  was  supposed),  that  a  -widow  named 
Procula  had  done  as  much.  He  called  her  out  into  the 
midst  of  the  people,  and  asked  her  why  she,  a  noble  woman 
and  free-born,  had  made  herself  a  slave  to  avarice,  which  is 
idolatry.  If  she  would  not  give  her  corn  to  Christ's  poor, 
let  her  throw  it  into  the  Danube  to  feed  the  fish,  for  any 
gain  from  it  she  would  not  have.  Procula  was  abashed,  and 
served  out  her  hoards  thereupon  willingly  to  the  poor ;  and 
a  little  while  afterwards,  to  the  astonishment  of  all,  vessels 
came  down  the  Danube  laden  with  every  kind  of  merchan- 
dize. They  had  been  frozen  up  for  many  days  near  Passau, 
in  the  thick  ice  of  the  river  Enns  :  but  the  prayers  of  God's 
servant  had  opened  the  ice-gates,  and  let  them  down  the 
stream  before  the  usual  time. 

* * 


* . % 

104  Lives  of  tJie  Saints.  [Januarys. 

Then  the  wild  German  horsemen  swept  around  the  walls, 
and  carried  off  human  beings  and  cattle,  as  many  as  they 
could  find.  Severinus,  like  some  old  Hebrew  prophet,  did 
not  shrink  from  advising  hard  blows,  where  hard  blows 
could  avail.  Mamertinus,  the  tribune,  or  officer  in  com- 
mand, told  him  that  he  had  so  few  soldiers,  and  those  so  ill- 
armed,  that  he  dare  not  face  the  enemy.  Severinus 
answered  that  they  should  get  weapons  from  the  barbarians 
themselves ;  the  Lord  would  fight  for  them,  and  they  should 
hold  their  peace :  only  if  they  took  any  captives  they  should 
bring  them  safe  to  him.  At  the  second  milestone  from  the 
city  they  came  upon  the  plunderers,  who  fled  at  once,  leaving 
their  arms  behind.  Thus  was  the  prophecy  of  the  man  of 
God  fulfilled.  The  Romans  brought  the  captives  back  to 
him  unharmed.  He  loosed  their  bonds,  gave  them  food 
and  drink,  and  let  them  go.  But  they  were  to  tell  their 
comrades  that,  if  ever  they  came  near  that  spot  again, 
celestial  vengeance  would  fall  on  them,  for  the  God  of  the 
Christians  fought  from  heaven  in  his  servants  cause. 

So  the  barbarians  trembled,  and  went  away.  And  the 
fear  of  S.  Severinus  fell  on  all  the  Goths,  heretic  Arians 
though  they  were ;  and  on  the  Rugii,  who  held  the  north 
bank  of  the  Danube  in  those  evil  days.  S.  Severinus, 
meanwhile,  went  out  of  Vienna,  and  built  himself  a  cell  at  a 
place  called  "  At  the  Vineyards."  But  some  benevolent  im- 
pulse— divine  revelation  his  biographer  calls  it— prompted 
him  to  return,  and  build  himself  a  cell  on  a  hill  close  to 
Vienna,  round  which  other  cells  soon  grew  up,  tenanted  by 
his  disciples.  "There,"  says  his  biographer,  "he  longed  to 
escape  the  crowds  of  men  who  were  wont  to  come  to  him, 
and  cling  closer  to  God  in  continual  prayer :  but  the  more 
he  longed  to  dwell  in  solitude,  the  more  often  he  was  warned 
by  revelations  not  to  deny  his  presence  to  the  afflicted 
people."     He  fasted  continually ;  he  went  barefoot  even  in 

* >£ 


f 

Januarys.]  S.     SeVeriflUS.  105 

the  midst  of  winter,  which  was  so  severe,  the  story  con- 
tinues, in  those  days  around  Vienna,  that  waggons  crossed 
the  Danube  on  the  solid  ice :  and  yet,  instead  of  being 
puffed-up  by  his  own  virtues,  he  set  an  example  of  humility 
to  all,  and  bade  them  with  tears  to  pray  for  him,  that  the 
Saviour's  gifts  to  him  might  not  heap  condemnation  on  his 
head. 

Over  the  wild  Rugii  S.  Severinus  seems  to  have  acquired 
unbounded  influence.  Their  king,  Flaccitheus,  used  to  pour 
out  his  sorrows  to  him,  and  tell  him  how  the  princes  of  the 
Goths  would  surely  slay  him ;  for  when  he  had  asked  leave 
of  him  to  pass  on  into  Italy,  he  would  not  let  him  go.  But 
S.  Severinus  prophesied  to  him  that  the  Goths  would  do 
him  no  harm.  Only  one  warning  he  must  take :  "  Let  it 
not  grieve  him  to  ask  peace  even  for  the  least  of  men." 

The  friendship  which  had  thus  begun  between  the  barba- 
rian king  and  the  cultivated  Saint  was  carried  on  by  his  son 
Feva :  but  his  "  deadly  and  noxious  wife,"  Gisa,  who 
appears  to  have  been  a  fierce  Arian,  always,  says  his  bio- 
grapher, kept  him  back  from  clemency.  One  story  of 
Gisa's  misdeeds  is  so  characteristic  both  of  the  manners  of 
the  time  and  of  the  style  in  which  the  original  biography  is 
written,  that  I  shall  take  leave  to  insert  it  at  length. 

"  The  King  Feletheus  (who  is  also  Feva),  the  son  of  the 
afore-mentioned  Flaccitheus,  following  his  father's  devotion, 
began,  at  the  commencement  of  his  reign,  often  to  visit  the 
holy  man.  His  deadly  and  noxious  wife,  named  Gisa, 
always  kept  him  back  from  the  remedies  of  clemency.  For 
she,  among  the  other  plague-spots  of  her  iniquity,  even  tried 
to  have  certain  Catholics  re-baptized  :  but  when  her  husband 
did  not  consent,  on  account  of  his  reverence  for  S.  Seve- 
rinus, she  gave  up  immediately  her  sacrilegious  intention, 
burdening  the  Romans,  nevertheless,  with  hard  conditions, 
and  commanding  some  of  them  to  be  exiled  to  the  Danube. 

* * 


* # 

106  Lives  of  tJie  Saints.  [Januarys. 

For  when  one  day,  she,  having  come  to  the  village  next  to 
Vienna,  had  ordered  some  of  them  to  be  sent  over  the 
Danube,  and  condemned  to  the  most  menial  offices  of 
slavery,  the  man  of  God  sent  to  her,  and  begged  that  they 
might  be  let  go.  But  she,  blazing  up  in  a  flame  of  fury, 
ordered  the  harshest  of  answers  to  be  returned.  'I  pray 
thee,'  she  said,  'servant  of  God,  hiding  there  within  thy 
cell,  allow  us  to  settle  what  we  choose  about  our  own 
slaves.'  But  the  man  of  God  hearing  this,  '  I  trust,'  he  said, 
'  in  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  she  will  be  forced  by  ne- 
cessity to  fulfil  that  which  in  her  wicked  will  she  has  des- 
pised.' And  forthwith  a  swift  rebuke  followed,  and  brought 
low  the  soul  of  the  arrogant  woman.  For  she  had  confined 
in  close  custody  certain  barbarian  goldsmiths,  that  they 
might  make  regal  ornaments.  To  them  the  son  of  the  afore- 
said king,  Frederick  by  name,  still  a  little  boy,  had  gone  in, 
in  childish  levity,  on  the  very  day  on  which  the  queen  had 
despised  the  servant  of  God.  The  goldsmiths  put  a  sword 
to  the  child's  breast,  saying,  that  if  any  one  attempted  to 
enter,  without  giving  them  an  oath  that  they  should  be  pro- 
tected, he  should  die ;  and  that  they  would  slay  the  king's 
child  first,  and  themselves  afterwards,  seeing  that  they  had 
no  hope  of  life  left,  being  worn  out  with  long  prison.  When 
she  heard  that,  the  cruel  and  impious  queen,  rending  her 
garments  for  grief,  cried  out,  '  O  servant  of  God,  Severinus, 
are  the  injuries  which  I  did  thee  thus  avenged  ?  Hast  thou 
obtained,  by  the  earnest  prayer  thou  hast  poured  out,  this 
punishment  for  my  contempt,  that  thou  shouldst  avenge  it 
on  my  own  flesh  and  blood  ?'  Then,  running  up  and  down 
with  manifold  contrition  and  miserable  lamentation,  she 
confessed  that  for  the  act  of  contempt  which  she  had  com- 
mitted against  the  servant  of  God  she  was  struck  by  the 
vengeance  of  the  present  blow;  and  forthwith  she  sent 
knights  to  ask  for  forgiveness,   and  sent  across  the  river  the 

* • * 


-* 


January  8.]  S.     SeVeriflUS,  IOJ 

Romans,  his  prayers  for  whom  she  had  despised.  The  gold- 
smiths, having  received  immediately  a  promise  of  safety,  and 
giving  up  the  child,  were  in  like  manner  let  go. 

"  The  most  reverend  Severinus,  when  he  heard  this,  gave 
boundless  thanks  to  the  Creator,  who  sometimes  puts  off  the 
prayers  of  suppliants  for  this  end,  that  as  faith,  hope,  and 
charity  grow,  while  lesser  things  are  sought,  He  may  con- 
cede greater  things.  Lastly,  this  did  the  mercy  of  the 
Omnipotent  Saviour  work,  that  while  it  brought  to  slavery  a 
woman  free,  but  cruel  over  much,  she  was  forced  to  restore 
to  liberty  those  who  were  enslaved.  This  having  been 
marvellously  gained,  the  queen  hastened  with  her  husband 
to  the  servant  of  God,  and  showed  him  her  son,  who,  she 
confessed,  had  been  freed  from  the  verge  of  death  by  his 
prayers,  and  promised  that  she  would  never  go  against  his 
commands." 

To  this  period  of  Severinus'  life  belongs  the  famous  story 
of  his  interview  with  Odoacer,  the  first  barbarian  king  of 
Italy,  and  brother  of  the  great  Onulf  or  Wolf,  who  was 
the  founder  of  the  family  of  the  Guelphs,  Counts  of  Altorf, 
and  the  direct  ancestors  of  Victoria,  Queen  of  England. 
Their  father  was  ^decon,  secretary  at  one  time  of  Attila, 
and  chief  of  the  little  tribe  of  Turklings,  who,  though  Ger- 
man, had  clung  faithfully  to  Attila's  sons,  and  came  to  ruin  at 
the  great  battle  of  Netad,  when  the  empire  of  the  Huns 
broke  up  at  once  and  for  ever.  Then  Odoacer  and  his  brother 
started  over  the  Alps  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  Italy,  and 
take  service,  after  the  fashion  of  young  German  adventurers, 
with  the  Romans ;  and  they  came  to  S.  Severinus'  cell,  and 
went  in,  heathens  as  they  probably  were,  to  ask  a  blessing  of 
the  holy  man;  and  Odoacer  had  to  stoop  and  to  stand 
stooping,  so  huge  he  was.  The  Saint  saw  that  he  was  no 
common  lad,  and  said,  "  Go  to  Italy,  clothed  though  thou 
be  in  ragged  sheepskins  :  thou  shalt  soon  give  greater  gifts 


*- 


108  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  s. 

to  thy  friends."  So  Odoacer  went  up  into  Italy,  deposed 
the  last  of  the  Caesars,  a  paltry  boy,  Romulus  Augustulus  by 
name,  and  found  himself,  to  his  own  astonishment,  and  that 
of  all  the  world,  the  first  German  king  of  Italy ;  and,  when 
he  was  at  the  height  of  his  power,  he  remembered  the  pro- 
phecy of  Severinus,  and  sent  to  him,  offering  him  any  boon 
he  chose  to  ask.  But  all  that  the  Saint  asked  was,  that 
he  should  forgive  some  Romans  whom  he  had  banished. 
S.  Severinus  meanwhile  foresaw  that  Odoacer's  kingdom 
would  not  last,  as  he  seems  to  have  foreseen  many  things. 
For  when  certain  German  knights  were  boasting  before  him 
of  the  power  and  glory  of  Odoacer,  he  said  that  it  would 
last  some  thirteen,  or  at  most  fourteen  years;  and  the 
prophecy  (so  all  men  said  in  those  days)  came  exactly 
true. 

There  is  no  need  to  follow  the  details  of  S.  Severinus's 
labours  through  some  five-and-twenty  years  of  perpetual 
self-sacrifice — and,  as  far  as  this  world  was  concerned,  per- 
petual disaster.  Eugippius's  chapters  are  little  save  a  cata- 
logue of  towns  sacked  one  after  the  other,  from  Passau  to 
Vienna,  till  the  miserable  survivors  of  the  war  seemed  to 
have  concentrated  themselves  under  S.  Severinus's  guardian- 
ship in  the  latter  city.  We  find,  too,  tales  of  famine,  of 
locust-swarms,  of  little  victories  over  the  barbarians,  which 
do  not  arrest  wholesale  defeat :  but  we  find,  through  all, 
S.  Severinus  labouring  like  a  true  man  of  God,  conciliating 
the  invading  chiefs,  redeeming  captives,  procuring  for  the 
cities  which  were  still  standing  supplies  of  clothes  for  the 
fugitives,  persuading  the  husbandmen,  seemingly  through 
large  districts,  to  give  even  in  time  of  dearth  a  tithe  of  their 
produce  to  the  poor  ; — a  tale  of  noble  work  indeed. 

Eugippius  relates  many  wonders  in  his  life  of  S.  Severinus. 
The  reader  finds  how  the  man  who  had  secretly  celebrated 
a  heathen  sacrifice  was  discovered  by  S.  Severinus,  because, 

* 


*- * 

Januarys.]  S.     SeVertflUS.  IO9 

- 

while  the  tapers  of  the  rest  of  the  congregation  were  lighted 
miraculously  from  heaven,  his  taper  alone  would  not  light 
He  records  how  the  Danube  dared  not  rise  above  the  mark  of 
the  cross  which  S.  Severinus  had  cut  upon  the  posts  of  a  timber 
chapel ;  how  a  poor  man,  going  out  to  drive  the  locusts  off  his 
little  patch  of  corn  instead  of  staying  in  the  church  all  day  to 
pray,  found  the  next  morning  that  his  crop  alone  had  been 
eaten,  while  all  the  fields  around  remained  untouched.  Also 
he  records  the  well-known  story,  which  has  a  certain  awfulness 
about  it,  how  S.  Severinus  watched  all  night  by  the  bier  of 
the  dead  priest  Silvinus,  and  ere  the  morning  dawned  bade 
him,  in  the  name  of  God,  speak  to  his  brethren  ;  and  how  the 
dead  man  opened  his  eyes,  and  Severinus  asked  him  whether 
he  wished  to  return  to  life,  and  he  answered  complainingly, 
"  Keep  me  no  longer  here ;  nor  cheat  me  of  that  perpetual 
rest  which  I  had  already  found,"  and  so,  closing  his  eyes 
once  more,  was  still  for  ever. 

At  last  the  noble  life  wore  itself  out.  For  two  years 
Severinus  had  foretold  that  his  end  was  near ;  and  foretold, 
too,  that  the  people  for  whom  he  had  spent  himself  should 
go  forth  in  safety,  as  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  and  find  a  refuge 
in  some  other  Roman  province,  leaving  behind  them  so 
utter  a  solitude,  that  the  barbarians,  in  their  search  for  the 
hidden  treasures  of  the  civilization  which  they  had  extermi- 
nated, should  dig  up  the  very  graves  of  the  dead.  Only, 
when  the  Lord  willed  to  deliver  them,  they  must  carry  away 
his  bones  with  them,  as  the  children  of  Israel  carried  the 
bones  of  Joseph. 

Then  Severinus  sent  for  Feva,  the  Rugian  king  and  Gisa, 
his  cruel  wife  ;  and  when  he  had  warned  them  how  they 
must  render  an  account  to  God  for  the  people  committed  to 
their  charge,  he  stretched  his  hand  out  to  the  bosom  of  the 
king.  "  Gisa,"  he  asked,  "dost  thou  love  most  the  soul 
within   that   breast,    or   gold   and  silver?"     She  answered 

* * 


_ — _ * 

no  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

that  she  loved  her  husband  above  all.  "  Cease  then,"  he 
said,  "  to  oppress  the  innocent :  lest  their  affliction  be  the 
ruin  of  your  power." 

Severinus'  presage  was  strangely  fulfilled.  Feva  had 
handed  over  the  city  of  Vienna  to  his  brother  Frederick — 
"  poor  and  impious,"  says  Eugippius.  Severinus,  who  knew 
him  well,  sent  for  him,  and  warned  him  that  he  himself  was 
going  to  the  Lord;  and  that  if,  after  his  death,  Frederick 
dared  touch  aught  of  the  substance  of  the  poor  and  the 
captive,  the  wrath  of  God  would  fall  on  him.  In  vain  the 
barbarian  pretended  indignant  innocence ;  Severinus  sent 
him  away  with  fresh  warnings. 

"  Then  on  the  nones  of  January  he  was  smitten  slightly 
with  a  pain  in  the  side.  And  when  that  had  continued  for 
three  days,  at  midnight  he  bade  the  brethren  come  to  him." 
He  renewed  his  talk  about  the  coming  emigration,  and  en- 
treated again  that  his  bones  might  not  be  left  behind  ;  and 
having  bidden  all  in  turn  come  near  and  kiss  him,  and  hav- 
ing received  the  most  Holy  Sacrament,  he  forbade  them  to 
weep  for  him,  and  commanded  them  to  sing  a  psalm.  They 
hesitated,  weeping.  He  himself  gave  out  the  psalm, 
"  Praise  the  Lord  in  His  saints,  and  let  all  that  hath  breath 
praise  the  Lord  ;"  and  so  went  to  rest  in  the  Lord. 

No  sooner  was  he  dead  than  Frederick  seized  on  the  gar- 
ments kept  in  the  monastery  for  the  use  of  the  poor,  and 
even  commanded  his  men  to  carry  off  the  vessels  of  the  altar. 
Then  followed  a  scene  characteristic  of  the  time.  The 
steward  sent  to  do  the  deed  shrank  from  the  crime  of  sacri- 
lege. A  knight,  Anicianus  by  name,  went  in  his  stead,  and 
took  the  vessels  of  the  altar.  But  his  conscience  was  too 
strong  for  him.  Trembling  and  delirium  fell  on  him,  and  he 
fled  away  to  a  lonely  island,  and  became  a  hermit  there. 
Frederick,  impenitent,  swept  away  all  in  the  monastery,  leav- 
ing nought  but  the  bare  walls,  "  which  he  could  not  carry 

* £ 


January  8.]  S.     SeVerillUS.  Ill 

over  the  Danube."  But  on  him,  too,  vengeance  fell.  Within 
a  month  he  was  slain  by  his  own  nephew.  Then  Odoacer 
attacked  the  Rugii,  and  carried  off  Feva  and  Gisa  captive  to 
Rome.  And  then  the  long-promised  emigration  came. 
Odoacer,  whether  from  mere  policy  (for  he  was  trying  to 
establish  a  half-Roman  kingdom  in  Italy,)  or  for  love  of 
S.  Severinus  himself,  sent  his  brother  Onulf  to  fetch  away 
into  Italy  the  miserable  remnant  of  the  Danubian  provincials, 
to  be  distributed  among  the  wasted  and  unpeopled  fanns  of 
Italy.  And  with  them  went  forth  the  corpse  of  S.  Severinus, 
undecayed,  though  he  had  been  six  years  dead,  and  giving 
forth  exceeding  fragance,  though  (says  Eugippius)  no  em- 
balmer's  hand  had  touched  it.  In  a  coffin,  which  had  been 
long  prepared  for  it,  it  was  laid  on  a  waggon,  and  went  over 
the  Alps  into  Italy,  working  (according  to  Eugippius)  the 
usual  miracles  on  the  way,  till  it  found  a  resting-place  near 
Naples,  in  that  very  villa  of  Lucullus  at  Misenum,  to  which 
Odoacer  had  sent  the  last  Emperor  of  Rome  to  dream  his 
ignoble  life  away  in  helpless  luxury. 

So  ends  this  tragic  story.  Of  its  truth  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  M.  Ozanam  has  well  said  of  that  death-bed  scene 
between  the  saint  and  the  barbarian  king  and  queen — "The 
history  of  invasions  has  many  a  pathetic  scene  :  but  I  know 
none  more  instructive  than  the  dying  agony  of  that  old 
Roman  expiring  between  two  barbarians,  and  less  touched 
with  the  ruin  of  the  empire,  than  with  the  peril  of  their 
souls."1  But  even  more  instructive,  and  more  tragic  also,  is 
the  strange  coincidence  that  the  wonder-working  corpse  of 
the  starved  and  bare-footed  hermit  should  rest  beside  the 
last  Emperor  of  Rome.  It  is  the  symbol  of  a  new  era. 
The  kings  of  this  world  have  been  judged  and  cast  out. 
The  empire  of  the  flesh  is  to  perish,  and  the  empire  of  the 
spirit  to  conquer  thenceforth  for  evermore. 

1   La  Civilisation  Chretienne  chez  les  Francs.    Paris,  1861,  p.  41. 

b -* 


* — fc 

112  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [Januarys. 

Relics,  in  the  church  of  S.  Severino  at  Naples. 

Patron  (but  not  sole  Patron)  of  Austria,  Vienna,  Bavaria. 


B.  BALDWIN,  M.  OF  LAON. 

(6th  cent.) 

[German  and  Gallican  Martyrologies.     Life  by  an  unknown  author.] 

The  Blessed  Baldwin,  archdeacon  of  Laon,  in  the  reign 
of  Dagobert,  was  the  son  of  Basus,  a  nobleman,  and  Sala- 
berga,  who  is  numbered  among  the  Saints.  His  sister's 
name  was  Astruda,  who  is  also  reckoned  a  Saint.  Baldwin 
having  incurred  the  enmity  of  certain  evil  men,  was  by  them 
treacherously  murdered.     The  details  are  not  known. 


S.  FRODOBERT,  AB.  OF  TROVES. 

(7TH    CENT.) 

[Gallican  and  German  Martyrologies.  S.  Frodobert  died  on  Jan  1st, 
but  his  body  was  translated  on  Jan.  8th,  and  on  that  day,  accordingly,  his 
festival  is  observed  at  Troyes,  and  by  the  Benedictine  Order.  His  life  was 
written  by  his  disciple,  Lupellus,  and  used  in  the  compilation  of  a  later  life, 
by  a  monk  of  Moutier  la  Celle,  near  Troyes,  about  872.] 

S.  Frodobert,  the  son  of  parents  of  the  middle  class, 
from  the  earliest  age  was  inspired  with  the  love  of  God,  and 
a  wondrous  gentleness  and  child-like  simplicity.  He  is  said, 
as  a  little  boy,  to  have  healed  his  mother  of  blindness,  as,  in 
a  paroxysm  of  love  and  compassion  for  her  affliction,  he 
kissed  her  darkened  eyes,  and  signed  them  with  the  cross. 
At  an  early  age  he  entered  the  abbey  of  Luxeuil,  where  his 
singleness  of  soul  and  guilelessness  exposed  him  to  become 
the  butt  of  the  more  frivolous  monks.     During  the  time  that 

* gi 


January  8.]  6".     Frodobert.  I  1 3 

he  was  there,  a  certain  Teudolin,  abbot  of  S.  Seguanus,  was 
staying  at  Luxeuil  for  the  purpose  of  study,  and  Frodobert 
was  much  with  him,  being  ordered  to  attend  on  the  wants  of 
the  visitor,  and  obey  him  implicitly.  This  Teudolin  diver- 
sified his  labours  with  playing  practical  jokes  on  his  gentle 
assistant ;  but  Frodobert  never  resented  any  jest.  One  day 
the  abbot  Teudolin  sent  Frodobert  to  another  monk,  who 
was  also  fond  of  practising  jokes  on  Frodobert,  for  a  pair  of 
compasses,  saying  that  he  wanted  them  for  writing.  The 
lay  brother  took  the  message  without  in  the  least  knowing 
what  compasses  were.  The  monk,  suspecting  that  the  abbot 
had  sent  Frodobert  on  a  fool's  errand,  put  a  pair  of  stones  off 
a  hand-mill  round  his  neck,  and  told  him  to  take  them  to 
Teudolin.  Frodobert  obeyed,  but  was  scarcely  able  to 
stagger  along  the  cloister  under  the  weight.  On  his  way, 
the  abbot  of  Luxeuil,  his  own  superior,  met  him,  and  amazed 
to  see  the  poor  brother  bowed  to  earth  under  this  burden, 
bade  him  throw  down  the  mill-stones,  and  tell  him  whither 
he  was  taking  them.  Frodobert  obeyed,  and  said  that  the 
abbot  Teudolin  had  sent  him  for  them,  as  he  wanted  them 
for  literary  purposes.  The  superior  burst  into  tears,  grieved 
that  the  good,  simple-minded  lay  brother  should  have 
been  thus  imposed  upon,  and  hastening  to  the  visitor,  and 
then  to  the  monk  who  had  put  the  "  compasses  "  about  Fro- 
dobert's  neck,  he  administered  to  them  such  a  sharp  rebuke, 
that  from  that  day  forward  no  more  practical  jokes  were 
played  upon  him. 

As  years  passed,  his  virtue  became  more  generally  known, 
and  the  Bishop  of  Troyes  summoned  him  to  be  in  attend- 
ance on  himself.  The  humble  monk  in  vain  entreated  to  be 
allowed  to  return  to  his  monastery;  the  bishop  retained 
him  about  his  person  in  his  palace. 

As  he  was  unable  to  return  to  the  quiet  of  his  cloister, 
Frodobert  withdrew  as  much  as  possible  from  the  world  in 

vol.  i.  8 


* 

ii4  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

which  he  moved,  into  the  calm  of  his  own  heart,  and 
practised  great  abstinence  in  the  midst  of  the  abundance 
wherewith  the  bishop's  table  was  supplied.  Living  outside 
his  cloister,  he  kept  its  rules,  and  in  Lent  he  never  ate  any- 
thing till  after  sunset.  Those  who  were  less  strict  in  their 
living,  sneered  at  his  self-denial,  and  told  the  bishop  that 
Frodobert  kept  a  supply  of  victuals  in  his  bedroom,  and 
ate  privily.  To  prove  him,  the  prelate  gave  him  a  chamber 
in  the  church  tower,  and  burst  in  upon  him  at  all  unseason- 
able moments,  but  was  never  able  to  detect  the  slightest 
proof  of  the  charge  being  well  founded.  He,  therefore,  re- 
gretted his  mistrust,  and  restored  the  monk  to  his  room  in 
the  palace. 

Frodobert  was  given  at  last,  by  Clovis  II.,  some  marshy 
land  near  Troyes,  and  on  this  he  built  a  monastery,  which 
he  called  La  Celle,  which  was  soon  filled  with  numerous 
monks,  and  became  famous  for  the  learned  men  it  educated. 
Here  S.  Frodobert  spent  many  years.  He  passed  his 
declining  years  in  building  a  church  to  S.  Peter,  and  when 
the  church  was  completed,  his  strength  failed,  and  he  knew 
that  he  had  not  many  days  to  live.  His  great  desire  was  to 
see  it  consecrated  on  the  feast  of  the  Nativity,  and  he  sent 
two  of  his  monks  to  the  bishop  to  beseech  him  to  dedicate 
his  new  church  that  day.  But  the  duties  of  Christmas,  in  his 
Cathedral,  rendered  it  impossible  for  the  prelate  to  grant  this 
request.  Frodobert  received  the  refusal  with  many  tears, 
but  lifting  his  eyes  and  hands  to  heaven,  he  prayed,  and 
God  prolonged  his  days,  so  that  he  survived  to  see  his 
church  consecrated  on  the  Octave  of  the  Nativity,  Jan.  ist ; 
and  when  the  ceremony  was  over,  he  resigned  his  soul  into 
the  hands  of  God.  The  body  was  translated,  some  years  after, 
on  the  8th  January.  The  weather  had  been  wet,  and  the 
marshes  were  under  water,  so  that  the  abbot  and  monks 
were  in  trouble,  because  their  house  was  surrounded  with 


January  8.]  S.     Guduld.  I  I  5 

the  flood,  and  it  would  be  difficult  for  the  bishop  and  clergy 
of  Troyes  to  attend  the  ceremony  of  the  translation. 
"  Grant,"  said  the  abbot,  "  that  the  blessed  Frodobert  may 
obtain  for  us  a  sharp  frost,  or  we  shall  have  no  one  here  to- 
morrow." This  was  said  on  the  eve  of  the  projected  trans- 
lation. That  night,  so  hard  a  frost  set  in,  that  by  morning 
the  whole  surface  of  the  water  was  frozen  like  a  stone,  and 
the  bishop,  clergy,  and  faithful  of  Troyes,  came  to  the 
monastery  over  the  ice. 


S.    GUDULA,  V. 
(about  712.) 

[Gallo-Belgian  and  Cologne  Martyrologies.  Two  lives  of  S.  Gudula 
exist,  besides  notices  of  her  in  the  lives  of  other  members  of  the  family  of 
saints  to  which  she  belonged.  One  life,  by  a  certain  Hubert,  was  compiled 
after  1047,  the  other  is  anonymous,  given  by  Surius.  That  of  Hubert  is 
an  amplification  of  an  older  life,  written  in  simple  and  rude  style.  He  did 
not  apparently  add  anything  to  the  history,  except  the  account  of  the 
various  translations  of  her  relics,  up  to  his  time  ;  but  he  re-wrote  the  life  in 
more  pedantic  and  florid  style.] 

The  date  of  the  birth  of  this  holy  virgin  is  uncertain. 
During  the  reign  of  King  Dagobert,  or  of  his  son  Sigebert, 
there  lived  in  Brabant  a  count  named  Witgere.  His  wife 
Amalberga,  who  is  said  to  have  been  the  sister  of  Pepin  of 
Landen,  presented  him  with  many  children ;  Rainilda,  Pha- 
raildis,  and  Emebert,  who  occupied  the  episcopal  throne  of 
Cambrai,  and  was  afterwards  elevated  to  the  ranks  of  the 
blessed.  Amalberga  was  again  pregnant,  and  an  angel 
announced  to  her,  in  a  dream,  that  the  child  that  should  be 
born  to  her,  would  be  a  model  of  sanctity.  A  few  days 
after,  S.  Gudula  was  born,  and  her  relative,  S.  Gertrude,  was 
her  sponsor,  and  took  charge  of  her  education. 

* * 


* __ — (J, 

116  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

When  Gudula  was  still  a  child,  she  longed  to  fly  the  world. 
She  and  her  sister  Rainilda  betook  themselves  to  Lobbes, 
and  asked  to  be  admitted  into  the  monastery.  But  as  women 
were  not  permitted  to  invade  its  precincts,  their  request 
was  denied.  After  waiting  three  days  at  the  gates,  Gudula 
turned  away  sorrowful,  but  her  sister  Rainilda,  more  perse- 
vering, remained  undeterred  by  repeated  refusals,  till,  over- 
coming by  her  persistency,  she  was  allowed  to  live  under  the 
rule  of  the  monastery.  Gudula  returned  to  her  parents ; 
but  living  at  home,  she  lived  a  recluse.  In  those  wild 
times  of  civil  war  and  general  violence,  it  is  not  surprising  to 
see  gentle  spirits  flutter  like  doves  to  the  convent  gates,  as 
to  an  ark  of  refuge,  from  the  storms  raging  without,  which 
they  were  so  powerless  to  withstand. 

About  two  miles  from  her  parents'  castle  was  a  little 
village  named  Moorsel,  where  was  an  oratory  dedicated 
to  the  Saviour;  thither  went  S.  Gudula  every  morning  at 
cock-crow.  And  now  follows  an  incident  similar  to  that 
related  of  S.  Genoveva.  One  wild  night,  the  Prince  of  the 
Power  of  the  air  extinguished  the  light  which  the  servant  girl 
carried  before  the  Saint ;  and  she,  in  profound  darkness,  on 
a  barren  heath,  knew  not  how  to  find  the  path.  Gudula 
knelt  down  and  prayed  to  God,  and  the  light  rekindled  in 
her  lantern,  so  that  she  went  on  her  way  rejoicing. 

At  early  mass,  one  frosty  morning,  the  priest,  as  he  turned 
towards  the  people,  noticed  Gudula  wrapped  in  devotion, 
and  her  feet  were  exposed  from  beneath  her  gown ;  he  saw 
with  dismay  that  there  were  no  soles  to  her  shoes,  so 
that  though  she  appeared  to  be  well  shod,  she  in  reality 
walked  barefoot.  The  good  priest,  pained  to  think  that  her 
tender  feet  should  be  chilled  by  the  icy  stones  of  the  pave- 
ment, as  soon  as  he  had  unvested,  took  his  warm  mittens, 
and  put  them  under  the  feet  of  the  young  countess ;  but  she 
rejected  them,  much  distressed  that  her  act  of  penance  had 

* % 


# _ — * 

January  8.]  S.     Guduld.  I  I  7 

been  discovered.  On  leaving  the  church,  she  met  a  poor 
woman,  with  her  crippled  dumb  son  on  her  back.  The  boy 
was  bowed  double,  and  was  so  deformed  that  he  could  not 
feed  himself.  The  Saint  looked  at  the  poor  mother  and  then 
at  the  unfortunate  child,  and  actuated  by  a  movement  of 
compassion,  she  took  the  cripple  into  her  arms,  and  besought 
God  to  pity  him.  Instantly  the  stiff  joints  became  supple, 
and  the  back  was  straightened,  and  the  child,  feeling  himself 
whole,  cried  out :  "See,  mother  !  see  !"  Gudula,  abashed  at 
the  miracle,  implored  the  poor  woman  to  keep  what  had 
taken  place  a  secret ;  but  she,  full  of  gratitude,  published  it 
abroad.  When  S.  Gudula  died,  all  the  people  followed  her 
body  to  the  grave.  She  was  buried  on  the  8th  January, 
712,  according  to  the  general  opinion,  in  a  tomb  before  the 
door  of  the  oratory  of  the  village  of  Hamme,  near  Releghem. 
On  the  morrow,  a  poplar  that  stood  at  the  foot  of  her  grave 
was  seen,  in  spite  of  the  season,  to  have  burst  into  green 
leaf.1 

The  body  was  afterwards  transported  to  Nivelles,  Mons, 
and  Maubeuge,  through  fear  of  the  Normans ;  and  then  was  laid 
in  the  oratory  of  Moorsel,  which  she  had  loved  so  well  in 
life.  When  Charlemagne  came  to  Moorsel,  he  built  there  a 
monastery,  richly  endowed ;  but  the  convent  disappeared  in 
the  times  of  anarchy  which  followed  the  death  of  the 
founder,  and  the  body  was  finally  taken  from  the  robber 
baron  who  had  appropriated  to  himself  the  lands  of 
Moorsel,  and  brought  to  Brussels;  where,  since  1047,  a 
magnificent  church  has  eternalized  the  memory  of  the 
daughter  of  Witgere.  The  site  of  the  chapel  at  Hamme  is 
now  a  kiln. 

Gudula ;  French,  Gudule ;  Flemish,  Goole. 

Relics,  at  the  church  of  SS.  Michel  et  Gudule,  Brussels. 

1  So  related  in  one  of  the  lives.     The  other  exaggerates  the  incident,  and  says  that 
in  the  night  a  poplar  tree  sprang  up. 

X _ * 


*-_ 

n8  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

Patroness  of  Brussels. 

In  art,  represented  with  a  lantern,  and  an  angel  kind- 
ling it. 

S.  PEGA,   V. 

(ABOUT    A.D.    7l8.) 

[English  Martyrologies.  Authorities  :  Felix  of  Croyland,  Florence 
of  Worcester,  Ordericus  Vitalis,  lib.  iv.  c  17.] 

S.  Pega  was  the  sister  of  S.  Guthlac  of  Croyland,  and 
though  of  the  royal  blood  of  the  Mercian  kings,  forsook  the 
world  and  led  a  retired  life  in  the  country,  where  now  stands 
Peakirk,  in  Northamptonshire.  "  There  Pega,  S.  Guthlac's 
sister,  was  for  a  long  time  a  servant  of  the  Lord.  After  her 
brother's  death,  she  used  all  her  endeavours  to  wear  out  her 
life  for  the  love  of  Christ,  by  still  severer  austerities.  She, 
therefore,  undertook  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  to  pray  at  the 
threshold  of  the  holy  Apostles,  for  herself  and  her  kinsfolk, 
and  she  there  triumphantly  departed,  on  the  sixth  of  the  ides 
(8th)  of  January." 

S.  Pega,  called  in  Northamptonshire  S.  Pee,  is  not  to  be 
confounded  with  S.  Bega,  or  S.  Bees,  who  is  commemorated 
on  September  8th. 

S.   WULS1N,   B.   OF   SHERBOURN. 
(a.d.  983.) 

[Benedictine  Martyrology.  In  English  Martyrologies  S.  Wulsin  was 
commemorated  on  Sept.  27th.  Mentioned  by  Matthew  of  Westminster. 
His  life  is  given  by  Capgrave. ] 

Matthew  of  Westminster  says  (De  gestis  Pontif.  Ang- 
lorum,  lib.  2) : — "  Dunstan,  the  archbishop,  when  he  was 
Bishop   of  London,  made  him  (Wulsin),  abbot  of  West- 

j, % 


* 


-* 


Januarys.!  S.  Laurence  J '  ustiniani.  119 

minster,  a  place  where  formerly  Mellitus  had  raised  a  church 
to  S.  Peter,  and  here  he  formed  a  monastery  of  twelve 
monks.  Having  discharged  his  office  prudently  and  with 
sanctity,  he  was  made  Bishop  of  Sherbourn.  Then  he  at 
once  instituted  monks  in  the  episcopal  seat,  and  dismissed 
the  secular  clerks,  lest  he  should  seem  to  sleep  when  so 
many  bishops  of  the  time  were  patrons  of  diligence.  His 
sanctity,  if  manifest  in  life,  was  more  so  in  death.  For  when 
he  was  nigh  the  gates  of  death,  the  eyes  of  his  understanding 
being  opened,  he  exclaimed  singing,  '  I  see  the  heavens 
opened,  and  Jesus  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God !' 
Which  song  he  uttered  without  faltering,  and  singing,  he 
died." 


S.  LAURENCE  JUSTINIANI,  PATR.  OF  VENICE. 

(A.D.    1455.) 

S.  Laurence  Justiniani  died  on  Jan.  8th.  He  was  beati- 
fied by  Clement  VII.,  in  the  year  1524,  and  was  canonized 
in  1698  by  Alexander  VIII.  The  5th  Sept.,  the  day  of  his 
consecration  as  bishop,  is  generally  observed  in  his  honour, 
instead  of  Jan.  8th,  and  to  that  day  we  refer  our  readers  for 
his  life. 


r    La  1  S\f 


*■ 


"* 


* — ^ 

1 20  Lives  of  the  Saints.  onuaiy* 


January  9. 

S.  Marciana,  V.  M .,  in  Africa,  cite.  a.i>.  300. 

SS.  Julian,  Basilissa.Celsus,  and  Companions,  MM  ,  in  Egypt,  circ.  A.D.  310. 

S.  Peter,  B.  of  Stbaste,  circ.  a.d.  387. 

S.  Marcellinus,  B.  of  Ancona,  circ.  a.d.  566. 

S.  Fillan,  Ad.,  in  Scotland,  Zth  cent. 

S.  Adrian,  Ab.,  at  Canterbury,  a.d.  709. 

S.  Brithwald,^^.  of  Canterbury,  a.d.  731. 

S.  MARCIANA,  V.  M. 

(about  300.) 

[Roman,  Spanish,  German,  and  other  Martyrologies.  There  is  some 
difficulty  as  to  whether  the  African  S.  Marciana  and  the  Saint  of  the  same 
name,  honoured  at  Toledo,  are  to  be  distinguished ;  but  probably  they  are  the 
same.  Some  hagiographers  have  supposed  that  there  were  two,  because  at 
Toledo,  S.  Marciana  is  commemorated  on  July  12th,  but  that  is  in  all 
probability  the  day  of  her  translation.  The  Acts  of  the  African  Saint  and 
the  Toledan  hymn  to  S.  Marciana,  as  well  as  the  account  of  her  in  the 
Mozarabic  Breviary,  relate  the  same  incidents.  None  of  these  are  of  any 
great  authority.] 

[AINT  MARCIANA  was  a  native  of  Rusuccus, 

in  Mauritania.    When  at  Caesarea,  in  Mauritania, 

she   was   brought   before    the  governor  on  the 

charge  of  having  overthrown  a  marble  statuette 

of  Diana,   which  stood  above  a  drinking  fountain   in   the 

public  street. 

For  this  outrage  on  the  established  religion,  she  was 
scourged,  and  then  delivered  over  to  the  lust  of  the  gla- 
diators, but  was  miraculously  delivered,  for  God  was  as 
careful  to  protect  the  modesty  of  his  servant,  as  was  she 
to  proclaim  the  honour  of  His  name. 

She  was  exposed  in  the  amphitheatre  to  a  lion,  which, 
however,  spared  her ;  but  a  bull  gored  her  with  its  horns, 
and  a  leopard  despatched  her. 
Patroness  of  Tortosa,  in  Spain. 

*- ■ —  & 


January  9.]  ,5*.     JullCM.  121 


SS.   JULIAN,  BASILISSA,   CELSUS,   AND 

COMPANIONS,   MM. 

(about  310.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  Greek  Mensea.  Authority  : — The  Acts  of 
these  martyrs.  They  are  referred  to  by  S.  Eulogius,  the  martyr,  who 
flourished  about  A.D.  850.  They  have  been  inserted  by  Metaphrastes 
in  his  collection  of  the  lives  of  the  Saints,  in  Greek.  S.  Aldhelm  of 
Sherbourne,  wrote  a  panegyric  on  these  Saints,  in  Anglo-Saxon,  in 
700  ;  and  S.  Venantius  Fortunatus  wrote  a  hymn  in  honour  of  them  in 
620.  The  Acts  purport  to  have  been  written  by  an  eye-witness  of  the 
martyrdom,  for  he  says  : — "  We  write  the  Acts  of  the  Saints  from  what 
we  saw  with  our  eyes,  wherefore  we  hope  to  receive  some  little  share  in 
future  blessedness."  The  writer  survived  to  the  time  of  Constantine  the 
Great,  for  he  speaks  of  churches  erected  to  the  memory  of  these  martyrs. 
Nevertheless,  the  Acts  cannot  be  regarded  as  genuine.  They  are 
nothing  but  a  religious  romance,  possibly  founded  on  fact.  Such  re- 
ligious romances  were  common  in  the  5th  cent.,  written  to  supply 
Christians  with  wholesome  reading  in  place  of  the  sensual  fictions  of 
Heliodorus,  Achilles  Tatius,  &c.  As  there  are  no  less  than  thirty-six 
Julians  in  the  Roman  Martyrology,  and  of  these  seven  are  commemo- 
rated in  January,  there  is  great  liability  to  confusion.  S.  Julian  seems  to 
have  suffered  on  the  6th  January  ;  but  on  account  of  the  concurrence  of 
the  Epiphany,  his  memorial  was  transferred  to  different  days  in  different 
dioceses,  and  this  again  has  proved  an  element  of  confusion.] 

S.  Julian  was  born  at  Antinoe,  in  Egypt,  of  noble  parents. 
The  love  of  God,  and  God  alone,  filled  his  heart  from 
earliest  childhood.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  his  parents  re- 
quired him  to  marry.  This  troubled  him  much,  for  he  had 
read  the  saying  of  S.  Paul,  "  He  that  is  unmarried  careth  for 
the  things  that  belong  to  the  Lord,  how  he  may  please  the 
Lord :  but  he  that  is  married  careth  for  the  things  that  are 
of  the  world,  how  he  may  please  his  wife."  i  Cor.  vii.  32,  33. 
He  besought  his  parents  to  allow  him  to  defer  giving  them 
a  final  answer  till  he  had  well  considered  their  proposal 


%— * 

122  Lives    Of  the   SaintS.  [January 9. 

during  seven  days.  He  now  fasted,  and  watched,  and 
prayed,  revealing  to  God  the  desire  of  his  heart,  to  keep  his 
body  in  virginity,  and  his  soul  devoted  to  God  alone.  At 
the  end  of  the  seven  days  he  saw  Christ  in  a  vision,  who 
said  to  him,  "  Fear  not,  Julian,  to  take  thee  a  wife,  and  to 
fulfil  the  desire  of  thy  parents.  As  virgins  ye  shall  serve  me, 
and  I  shall  not  be  separated  from  you,  and  as  virgins  shall  ye 
enter  into  my  kingdom."  Then  Julian  was  filled  with  great 
joy,  and  he  considered  whom  he  should  choose.  Now  there 
was  one  maiden,  Basilissa  by  name,  who  was  well-known  to 
his  parents,  and  with  whom  he  had  been  acquainted  from 
childhood,  and  whom  he  loved  for  her  whiteness  of  soul. 
Therefore  he  told  his  father  that  he  consented  to  marry 
Basilissa.  And  she,  on  her  side,  was  glad  to  be  the  wife  of 
Julian,  but  her  timid  soul  shrank  from  the  cares  and  respon- 
sibilities of  marriage,  for  she  was  as  yet  young  and  fresh  to 
the  world. 

The  marriage  took  place  with  all  the  boisterous  merriment 
and  display,  usual  then  as  now ;  and  evening  approaching, 
the  young  bride  was  led  by  the  maidens,  who  were  her 
fellows,  to  the  nuptial  chamber.  Now  when  Julian  entered, 
there  came  an  odour  in  the  apartment,  as  of  lilies  and  roses, 
though  the  season  was  mid-winter,  and  an  awe  fell  on  their 
young  hearts.  And  they  put  their  hands  together,  and 
promised  to  serve  God  together  in  purity  and  fervour,  with 
singleness  of  heart  all  their  days.  Then  they  were  aware 
of  One  present  in  the  room,  and  kneeling  down,  they 
fell  prostrate,  and  besought  Him  to  accomplish  the  good 
work  He  had  begun  in  them.  And  when  they  looked 
up,  the  chamber  was  full  of  light,  and  they  saw  Jesus 
and  Mary,  and  an  innumerable  company  of  virgin  Saints. 
Then  the  Lord  said,  "  Thou  hast  conquered,  O  Julian,  thou 
hast  conquered  !"     And  the  Blessed  Virgin  said,  "  Blessed 

^_ . * 


*- !gl 

January  9.]  6".    Julian.  I  23 

art  thou,  Basilissa,  who  hast  thus  sought  with  single  heart 
the  glory  that  is  eternal." 

Then  said  Jesus,  "  My  soldiers,  who  have  overcome  the 
wiles  of  the  old  serpent,  rise  and  behold  what  is  prepared  tor 
you  ! "  Thereupon  came  two  clothed  in  white  robes,  and 
girded  about  the  loins  with  golden  zones,  having  crowns  of 
flowers  in  their  hands,  and  they  raised  them  from  the  ground 
and  showed  them  an  open  book  seven  times  brighter  than 
silver,  inscribed  with  golden  letters,  and  round  about  it  stood 
four  elders,  having  vials  in  their  hands  of  pure  gold,  from 
which  ascended  diverse  odours.  And  one,  answering,  said, 
"  In  these  four  vials  your  perfection  is  contained.  For 
out  of  these  daily  ascends  an  odour  of  sweet  fragrance 
before  the  Lord.  Therefore,  blessed  are  ye,  because  ye 
have  rejected  the  unsatisfying  pleasures  of  this  world  to 
strive  after  those  which  are  eternal,  which  eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man  to  conceive." 

Then  Julian  looked,  and  beheld  his  name,  and  the  name 
of  his  wife,  Basilissa,  written  in  the  book.  And  the  elder 
said,  "  In  that  book  are  written  the  chaste  and  the  sober,  the 
truthful  and  the  merciful,  the  humble  and  gentle,  those 
whose  love  is  unfeigned,  bearing  adversities,  patient  in 
tribulation,  and  those  who,  for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  have 
given  up  father  and  mother,  and  wife  and  children,  and 
lands,  for  his  sake,  lest  they  should  impede  the  progress  oi 
their  souls  to  perfection,  and  they  who  have  not  hesitated 
to  shed  their  blood  for  his  name,  in  the  number  of  whom 
you  also  have  merited  to  be  written." 

Then  the  vision  passed.  But  Julian  and  Basilissa  spent 
the  night  in  prayer,  and  singing  joyful  praises  to  the 
Lord. 

And  when  his  parents  were  dead,  Julian  divided  his  house 
and  made  it  into  a  hospital,  and  all  his  substance  he  spent 

►j, ■ >£ 


124  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  Q. 

in  relieving  the  necessities  of  the  sick  and  suffering.  He 
ruled  over  the  portion  devoted  to  the  men,  and  Basilissa, 
his  wife,  at  the  head  of  a  number  of  devout  virgins, 
governed  the  women's  department. 

Many  men  placed  themselves  under  the  guidance  of 
S.  Julian,  and  assisted  him  in  his  works  of  charity,  and 
laboured  for  the  advancement  of  God's  glory,  and  the 
salvation  of  their  own  souls.  It  is  from  the  circumstance  of 
S.  Julian  having  been  the  first  to  establish  a  hospital  for  the 
sick,  that  he  has  been  called  by  distinction  Julian  the 
Hospitaller. 

After  many  years,  Basilissa  died  in  peace ;  her  husband 
Julian  survived  her.  In  the  persecution  of  Diocletian  he 
was  seized  and  subjected  to  cruel  tortures.  The  governor, 
Marcian,  ordered  him  to  be  dragged,  laden  with  chains,  and 
covered  with  wounds,  about  the  city.  As  the  martyr  passed 
the  school  where  Celsus,  the  son  of  the  governor,  was  being 
instructed,  the  boys  turned  out  into  the  street  to  see  the 
soldier  of  Christ  go  by.  Then  suddenly  the  lad  exclaimed, 
"  I  see  angels  accompanying,  and  extending  a  glorious 
crown  to  him.  I  believe,  I  believe  in  the  God  of  the 
Christians  !"  And  throwing  away  his  books,  he  fell  at  the  feet 
of  Julian,  and  kissed  his  wounds.  When  the  father  heard 
this,  he  was  filled  with  ungovernable  fury,  and  believed  that 
the  Saint  had  bewitched  the  boy ;  he  ordered  them  both  to 
be  cast  into  the  lowest  dungeon,  a  loathsome  place,  where 
the  corrupting  carcases  of  malefactors  lay,  devoured  by 
maggots.  But  God  filled  this  hideous  pit  with  light,  and 
transformed  the  stench  into  fragrant  odours,  so  that  the 
soldiers  who  kept  the  prison  were  filled  with  wonder,  and 
believed.  That  same  night,  a  priest,  Antony,  who  lived 
with  seven  little  boys,  orphans  committed  to  his  care  by 
their  parents,  summoned  by  God,  came  with  these  seven 
children  to  the  prison.     An  angel  went  before  them,  and  at 

* * 


Januarys]  S.     Peter.  125 

his  touch  the  gates  flew  open.  Then  Antony,  the  priest, 
baptized  Celsus  and  the  believing  soldiers. 

On  the  morrow  the  governor,  supposing  that  the  night  in 
the  pit  had  cured  his  son,  sent  him  to  his  mother,  and  the 
boy,  having  related  to  her  in  order  all  he  had  seen  and 
heard,  she  believed  with  her  whole  heart,  and  was  baptized 
by  the  priest. 

The  governor,  Marcian,  ordered  all  these  converts  to 
death.  The  soldiers  were  executed  with  the  sword,  the 
seven  boys  were  cast  into  the  fire,  the  rest  were  tortured  to 
death. 

Relics,  at  Morigny,  near  Etampes,  and  in  the  church  of  S. 
Basilissa,  at  Paris. 

Patron  of  hospitals. 

In  art,  S.  Julian  and  S.  Basilissa  are  represented  holding 
the  same  lily  stalk,  or  looking  on  the  Book  of  Life  wherein 
their  names  are  written. 


S.  PETER,  B.  OF  SEBASTE. 
(about  387.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  Greek  Mensea.  The  life  of  S.  Peter  occurs  in 
that  of  his  sister,  S.  Macrina,  written  by  his  brother,  S.  Gregory  of  Nyssa. 
He  is  also  spoken  of  by  Socrates,  Theodoret,  and  Philostorgius.] 

The  family  of  which  S.  Peter  was  descended  was  very 
ancient  and  illustrious,  as  we  are  informed  by  S.  Gregory 
Nazianzen.  It  has  become  famous  for  its  saints,  for  three 
brothers  were  at  the  same  time  eminently  holy  bishops, 
S.  Basil,  S.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  and  S.  Peter  of  Sebaste  ;  and 
their  elder  sister,  S.  Macrina,  was  the  spiritual  mother  of 
many  saints.  Their  father  and  mother,  S.  Basil  the  elder, 
and  S.  Emilia,  were  banished  for  their  faith  in  the  reign  of 
Galerius  Maximian,  and  fled  into  the  deserts  of  Pontus ; 

* * 


* * 

[26  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [>nuary9. 

they  are  commemorated  in  the  Roman  martyrology  on  May 
30th.  The  grandmother  of  S.  Peter  was  S.  Macrina  the 
elder,  who  had  been  instructed  in  the  way  of  sal- 
vation by  S.  Gregory  the  Wonder-worker.  S.  Peter  ot 
Sebaste,  was  the  youngest  of  ten  children ;  he  lost  his  father 
whilst  still  an  infant,  and  was  therefore  brought  up  by  his 
mother  and  sister.  When  the  aged  Emilia  was  dying,  she 
drew  her  two  children — the  only  two  who  were  present — to 
her,  and  taking  their  hands,  she  looked  up  to  heaven,  and 
having  prayed  God  to  protect,  govern,  and  sanctify  her 
absent  children,  she  said,  "  To  Thee,  O  Lord,  I  dedicate 
the  first-fruits ;  and  the  tenth  of  my  womb.  This,  my  first- 
born, Macrina,  I  give  thee  as  my  first-fruits ;  and  this,  my 
tenth  child,  Peter,  I  give  thee  as  my  tithe.  They  are  thine 
by  law,  and  thine  they  are  by  my  free  gift.  Hallow,  I  pray 
thee,  this  my  first-born  daughter,  and  this  my  tenth  child, 
and  son."  And  thus  blessing  them,  she  expired,  says  S. 
Gregory  Nyssen.  S.  Emilia  had  founded  two  monasteries, 
one  for  men,  the  other  for  women  ;  the  former  she  put  under 
the  direction  of  her  son  Basil,  the  latter  under  that  of  her 
daughter  Macrina.  Peter,  whose  thoughts  where  wholly 
bent  on  cultivating  the  seeds  of  piety  sown  in  his  heart, 
retired  into  the  house  governed  by  his  brother,  situated  on 
the  bank  of  the  river  Iris;  and  when  S.  Basil  was  obliged  to 
quit  that  post  in  362,  he  left  the  abbacy  in  the  hands  of  S. 
Peter,  who  discharged  this  office  for  several  years  with  great 
prudence  and  virtue.  Soon  after  S.  Basil  was  made  Bishop 
of  Cresarea,  in  Cappadocia,  in  370,  he  promoted  his  brother 
Peter  to  the  priesthood.  His  brother,  S.  Basil,  died  on 
Jan.  1st,  a.d.  379,  and  Eustathius,  Bishop  of  Sebaste,  an 
Arian  and  a  furious  persecutor  of  S.  Basil,  died  soon  after. 
S.  Peter  was  consecrated  in  his  room,  in  3S0,  to  root  out 
the  Arian  heresy  in  that  diocese,  where  it  had  taken  deep 
hold.     In    381,   he   attended  the   general  council  held  at 

* 


* * 

January  9.]  .S.   FUldn.  \2*J 

Constantinople,  and  joined  in  the  condemnation  of  the 
Macedonian  heresy.  His  death  happened  in  summer, 
about  the  year  387,  and  his  brother,  S.  Gregory  of  Nyssa, 
mentions  that  his  memory  was  honoured  at  Sebaste  by  an 
anniversary  solemnity.  "  Peter,"  says  Nicephorus  (lib.  ii.  c. 
44),  "  who  sprang  from  the  same  parents  as  Basil,  was  not  so 
well-read  in  profane  literature  as  his  brother,  but  he  was  not 
his  inferior  in  the  splendour  of  his  virtue." 


S.  FILL  AN,  AB. 

(8th  cent.) 

[Scottish  and  Irish  Martyrologies.     Life  in  the  Aberdeen  Breviary.] 

S.  Fillan,  whose  name  is  famous  in  ancient  Scottish  and 
Irish  Calendars,  was  the  son  of  Feriach,  a  noble,  and  his 
saintly  wife  Kentigerna,  daughter  of  Cualann,  king  of  Leinster . 
His  father  ordered  him  to  be  thrown  into  the  lake,  near  his 
castle,  and  drowned,  when  he  was  shown  to  him,  for  he  was 
somewhat  unshapely.  But,  by  the  ministry  of  the  angels, 
at  the  prayer  of  his  mother,  he  floated  ashore.  S.  Fillan  was 
given  by  Bishop  Ibar  to  the  abbot  Munna,  to  be  educated. 
As  he  wrote  at  night  in  his  cell,  he  held  up  his  left  hand,  and 
it  shone  so  brilliantly  that  he  was  able  to  write  with  the  right 
hand  by  the  light  shed  by  the  left  hand. 

When  the  abbot  Munna  died  (a.d.  635),  S.  Fillan  was 
elected  to  succeed  him  as  head  of  the  monastery  of  Kilmund 
in  Argyleshire.  Afcer  some  years,  he  resigned  his  charge, 
and  retired  to  his  uncle  Congan,  brother  to  his  mother,  in  a 
place  called  Siracht,  a  mountainous  part  of  Glendarshy,  in 
Fifeshire,  where,  with  the  assistance  of  seven  others,  he  built 
a  church  He  was  buried  at  Straphilline,  and  his  relics 
were  long    preserved   there    with    honour.     The    Scottish 

* -* 


*- 


-* 


128  LiveS  Of  the  SaintS.  [January* 

historians  attribute  to  his  intercession  a  memorable  victory 
obtained  by  King  Robert  Bruce,  in  13 14,  over  the  English 
at  Bannockburn.     His  pastoral  staff  and  bell  still  exist. 


S.  ADRIAN,    AB.   OF   CANTERBURY. 

(a.d.  709.) 

[Anglican  and  some  of  the  German  Martyrologies.  Life  in  Bede,  Ecdes. 
Hist.,  lib.  iv. ,  c.  i,  2  ;  lib.  v.  c.  20.] 

"  Deusdedit,"  says  the  Venerable  Bede,  "  the  sixth 
Bishop  of  the  church  of  Canterbury,  died  on  the  14th  July, 
665.  The  see  then  became  vacant  for  some  considerable 
time,  until  the  priest  Wighard,  a  man  skilled  in  ecclesi- 
astical discipline,  of  the  English  race,  was  sent  to  Rome  by 
King  Egbert  (of  Kent),  and  Oswy,  King  of  the  Northum- 
brians, with  a  request  that  he  might  be  ordained  Bishop  of 
the  Church  of  England ;  sending  at  the  same  time  presents 
to  the  Apostolic  Pope,  and  many  vessels  of  gold  and  silver. 
Arriving  at  Rome,  where  Vitalian  presided  at  that  time  over 
the  Apostolic  see,  and  having  made  known  to  the  aforesaid 
Pope  the  occasion  of  his  journey,  he  was  not  long  after 
snatched  away,  with  almost  all  his  companions  that  went  with 
him,  by  a  pestilence  which  happened  at  that  time. 

"  But  the  Apostolic  Pope,  having  consulted  about  that 
affair,  made  diligent  inquiry  for  some  one  to  send  to  the 
Archbishop  of  the  English  Churches.  There  was  then  in 
the  Niridian  monastery,  which  is  not  far  from  the  city  of 
Naples,  an  abbot  called  Adrian,  by  nation  an  African, 
well  versed  in  holy  writ,  experienced  in  monastic  and 
ecclesiastical  discipline,  and  excellently  skilled  in  both 
Greek  and  Latin.  The  Pope,  sending  for  him,  commanded 
him  to  accept  the  bishopric,  and  repair  to  Britain ;  he 
answered    that   he    was    unworthy   of  so   great  a  dignity, 


*- 


-* 


January  9.]  S.  Adrian.  129 

but  said  he  would  name  another,  whose  learning  and  age 
were  fitter  for  the  ecclesiastical  office.  And  having  pro- 
posed to  the  Pope  a  certain  monk,  belonging  to  a  neigh- 
bouring monastery  of  virgins,  whose  name  was  Andrew,  he 
was  by  all  that  knew  him,  judged  worthy  of  a  bishopric ; 
but  bodily  infirmity  prevented  his  being  advanced  to  the 
episcopal  office.  Then  again  Adrian  was  pressed  to  accept 
the  bishopric,  but  he  desired  a  respite  for  a  time,  to  see 
whether  he  could  find  another  fit  to  be  ordained  bishop. 

"There  was  at  that  time,  in  Rome,  a  monk  called 
Theodore,  well-known  to  Adrian,  born  at  Tarsus,  in  Cilicia, 
a  man  well  instructed  in  worldly  and  divine  literature,  as 
also  in  Greek  and  Latin  ;  of  known  probity  of  life,  and 
venerable  for  age,  being  sixty-six  years  old.  Adrian  offered 
him  to  the  Pope  to  be  ordained  bishop,  and  prevailed ;  but 
upon  these  conditions,  that  he  should  conduct  him  into 
Britain,  because  he  had  already  travelled  through  France 
twice  upon  several  occasions,  and  was,  therefore,  better 
acquainted  with  the  way,  and  was,  moreover,  sufficiently 
provided  with  men  of  his  own ;  as  also  that,  being  his 
fellow  labourer  in  doctrine,  he  might  take  special  care  that 
Theodore  should  not,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
Greeks,  introduce  anything  contrary  to  the  true  faith  into 
the  Church  where  he  presided.  Theodore,  being  ordained 
sub-deacon,  waited  four  months  for  his  hair  to  grow,  that  it 
might  be  shorn  into  the  shape  of  a  crown  ;  for  he  had 
before  the  tonsure  of  S.  Paul1  the  Apostle,  after  the  manner 
of  the  Easterns.  He  was  ordained  by  Pope  Vitalian,  in  the 
year  of  the  Lord  668,  on  Sunday,  the  26th  of  March,  and 
on  the  27th  of  May  was  sent  with  Adrian  into  Britain. 

"  They  proceeded  by  sea  to  Marseilles,  and  thence  by 
land  to  Aries,  and  having  delivered  to  John,  Archbishop  of 
that  city,  Pope  Vitalian's  letters  of  recommendation,  were  by 

1  This  tonsure  consisted  in  shaving  the  whole  head. 
VOL.    I.                                                                                                      9 
* * 


*- « 

[30  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  9. 

him  detained,  till  Ebroin,  the  king's  mayor  of  the  palace,  sent 
them  a  pass  to  go  where  they  pleased.  Having  received 
the  same,  Theodore  repaired  to  Agilbert,  Bishop  of  Paris, 
and  was  by  him  kindly  received,  and  long  entertained. 
But  Adrian  went  first  to  Emme,  and  then  to  Faro,  Bishops 
of  Sens  and  Meaux,  and  lived  with  them  a  considerable 
time )  for  the  hard  winter  had  obliged  them  to  rest  where- 
ever  they  could.  King  Egbert,  being  informed  by  messen- 
gers, that  the  bishop  they  had  asked  of  the  Roman  prelate 
was  in  the  kingdom  of  France,  sent  thither  his  prsefect, 
Redford,  to  conduct  him  ;  who,  being  arrived  there,  with 
Ebroin's  leave,  conveyed  him  to  the  port  of  Quentavic 
(S.  Quentin) ;  where,  being  indisposed,  he  made  some  stay, 
and  as  soon  as  he  began  to  recover,  sailed  over  into 
Britain.  But  Ebroin  detained  Adrian,  suspecting  that  he 
went  on  some  message  from  the  Emperor  to  the  kings  of 
Britain,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  kingdom,  of  which  he  at  that 
time  took  especial  care ;  however,  when  he  found  that  he 
really  had  no  such  commission,  he  discharged  him,  and  per- 
mitted him  to  follow  Theodore. 

"As  soon  as  he  came,  he  received  from  him  the  mon- 
astery of  S.  Peter  the  Apostle,  where  the  Archbishops  of 
Canterbury  are  usually  buried ;  for  at  his  departure,  the 
Apostolic  Lord  had  ordered  that  Theodore  should  provide 
for  him  in  his  diocese,  and  give  him  a  suitable  place  to  live 
in  with  his  followers. 

"  Theodore  arrived  in  his  church  the  second  year  after 
his  consecration,  on  Sunday,  May  27th.  Soon  after,  he 
visited  all  the  island,  wherever  the  tribes  of  the  Angles 
inhabited ;  and  everywhere  attended  and  assisted  by  Adrian, 
he  taught  the  right  rule  of  life,  and  the  canonical  custom  of 
celebrating  Easter.  This  was  the  first  Archbishop  whom  all 
the  English  Church  obeyed.  And  forasmuch  as  both  of 
them  were  well  read  in  both  sacred  and  secular  literature, 

* * 


* — * 

January  9.]  S.     BritWClld.  I3I 

they  gathered  a  crowd  of  disciples,  and  there  flowed  from 
them  daily  rivers  of  knowledge  to  water  the  hearts  of 
their  hearers;  and,  together  with  the  books  of  Holy  Writ, 
they  also  taught  them  the  arts  of  ecclesiastical  poetry, 
astronomy,  and  arithmetic.  A  testimony  of  which  is,  that 
there  are  still  living  at  this  day  some  of  their  scholars,  who 
are  as  well  versed  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  tongues  as  in 
their  own,  in  which  they  were  bom.  Nor  were  there  ever 
happier  times  since  the  English  came  into  Britain  ;  for  their 
kings,  being  brave  men  and  good  Christians,  were  a 
terror  to  all  barbarous  nations,  and  the  minds  of  all  men 
were  bent  upon  the  joys  of  the  heavenly  kingdom  of  which 
they  had  just  heard  ;  and  all  who  desired  to  be  instructed  in 
sacred  reading  had  masters  at  hand  to  teach  them." 

S.  Adrian  died  a.d.  709,  after  having  spent  thirty-nine 
years  in  Britain.  His  tomb  was  famous  for  miracles 
wrought  at  it. 


S.  BRITHWALD,  ABP.  OF  CANTERBURY. 
(a.d.  731.) 

[Bede,  lib.  v.,  c.  8,  23.  William  of  Malmesbury  :  De  Gest.  Pontificum 
Anglorum  ;  Roger  of  Hoveden  ;  Matthew  of  Westminster,  &c.  He  is 
called  also  Bretwald  and  Berthwald.] 

Bede  says  that  after  the  death  of  S.  Theodore,  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  in  690,  "Berthwald  succeeded, 
being  abbot  of  the  monastery  of  Reculver,  which  lies  on  the 
north  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  Inlade.  He  was  a  man 
learned  in  the  Scriptures,  and  well  instructed  in  ecclesias- 
tical and  monastic  discipline,  yet  not  to  be  compared  with 
his  predecessor.  He  was  chosen  Bishop  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord's  Incarnation,  692,  on  the  first  day  of  July,  Withred 

* -* 


*- 


132 


Lives  of  the  Saints. 


[January  9. 


-* 


and  Suebhard  being  kings  of  Kent ;  he  was  consecrated 
the  next  year,  on  Sunday,  the  29th  June,  by  Godwin, 
Metropolitan  Bishop  of  France,  and  was  enthroned  on 
Sunday,  April  31st." 

"In  the  year  of  our  Lord's  Incarnation,  731,  Archbishop 
Berthwald  died  of  old  age,  on  the  9th  of  January,  having 
held  his  see  thirty-seven  years  six  months  and  fourteen 
days." 


S.   Genoveva,   Jan.   3,   p.  46. 


*- 


-* 


* — # 

January  io.]        SS.    Thecla  and  Justina.  133 


January  10. 

S.  NlCANOR,  M.,  A.D.  76. 

SS.  Thecla,  V.,  and  Justina,  Confessors  in  Sicily,  3rd  cent. 

S.  Marcian,  .P.  C,  at  Constantinople,  circ.  A.D.  476. 

S.  Domitian,  B.  C,  in  Armenia,  circ.  a.d.  600. 

S.  Agatho,  Pope  of  Rome,  a.d.  682. 

S.  Sethrida,  V.,  Abbess  of  Brie,  in  France,  ytn  cent 

S.  William,  Ab.  and  Abp.  of  Bourges,  a.d.  1209. 

S.  Gonsalvo,  P.  C,  in  Portugal,  a.d.  1259. 

B.  Christiana,  or  Oringa,  V.,  in  Etruria,  a.d.  i;io. 

S.  NlCANOR,  M. 
(a.d.  76.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.     Commemorated  by  the  Greeks  on  July  28th  and 
December  28th.] 

AINT  NlCANOR,  one  of  the  first  seven 
deacons  appointed  by  the  Apostles,  was  a  native 
of  Cyprus,  to  which  he  returned,  that  he  might 
preach  the  Gospel  on  the  dispersion  of  the 
Apostles.  He  was  variously  tortured  and  then  executed, 
in  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  but  where  is  not  known. 


SS.  THECLA,  V.,  AND  JUSTINA. 

(3RD    CENT.) 

[Authority  for  the  lives  of  these  Saints  :  the  lections  in  the  proper  offices 
for  this  day  in  the  church  of  Lentini,  in  Sicily.] 

S.  Thecla  was  a  noble  virgin  of  Lentini,  and  daughter  ot 
S.  Isidore.  She  buried  the  bodies  of  the  martyrs  with 
loving  reverence.  For  three  years  she  suffered  from  para- 
lysis, and  could  not  leave  her  bed,  but  was  healed  by  the 
prayers  of  SS.  Alphius,  Philadelphus,  and  Cyrinus.     When 

* — # 


* * 

134  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  10. 

they  were  in  prison  for  the  faith,  she  visited  them  and 
ministered  to  their  neccessities,  and  when  they  had  been 
slain  and  cast  into  a  well,  she  extracted  the  bodies  and 
buried  them.  Tertullus,  the  governor,  hearing  of  this, 
sent  for  her,  but  his  sudden  death  saved  her  from  injury. 
During  the  persecution,  she  concealed  Agatho,  Bishop  of 
Lipari,  in  one  of  her  farms ;  and  when  the  persecution 
was  over,  she  and  her  friend  Justina  spent  their  fortunes 
in  works  of  mercy. 


S.  MARCIAN,  P. 
(about  476.) 

[Honoured  in  the  Greek  Menaea  and  Roman  Martyrology  on  the  same 
day.     His  life,  by  an  anonymous  writer,  is  given  by  Simeon  Metaphrastes.] 

S.  Marcian  was  born  at  Constantinople ;  he  belonged  to 
a  noble  Roman  family,  related  to  that  of  the  Emperor 
Theodosius.  From  his  childhood  he  served  God  in  watch- 
ing, fasting,  and  prayer.  His  great  compassion  for  the  ne- 
cessities of  the  poor  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  refuse 
relief,  when  he  had  anything  to  give  away. 

In  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Marcian,  Anatolius,  the  Arch- 
bishop, ordained  him  priest.  His  love  for  the  poor  mani- 
fested itself,  not  merely  in  abundant  almsgiving,  but  also  in 
his  making  their  instruction  in  the  truth  his  favourite  pur- 
suit. The  severity  of  his  morals  was  made  a  handle  by 
those  who  feared  the  example  of  his  virtue,  as  a  tacit  rebuke 
of  their  sloth  and  avarice,  to  fasten  on  him  a  suspicion  of 
Novatianism ;  but  his  meekness  and  silence  triumphed  over 
this,  and  other  slanders. 

The  patriarch  Gennadius  conferred  on  him  the  dignity  of 
treasurer  of  the  church  of  Constantinople.  S.  Marcian 
built,   or  repaired,   in  a  stately  manner  a  great  number  of 

*- * 


January  10.]  S.     Martian.  I  35 

churches.  The  following  incident  is  related  of  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  church  of  S.  Anastasia,  for  which  he  had  ob- 
tained a  site,  and  which  he  had  built  in  spite  of  numerous 
impediments.  On  the  day  that  the  church  was  to  be  con- 
secrated, he  was  on  his  way  to  attend  the  ceremony,  when 
he  was  accosted  in  the  street  by  a  very  poor  man,  whose 
rags  scarce  held  together,  and  who  implored  him,  for  the 
love  of  God,  to  give  him  an  alms.  S.  Marcian  felt  in  his 
bosom,  but  found  he  had  no  money  there.  The  pauper 
would  take  no  refusal,  and  the  compassionate  heart  of  the 
treasurer  was  melted  at  the  aspect  of  his  tatters  and  ema- 
ciation. Quickly  he  slipped  off  the  tunic  he  wore  under  his 
sacerdotal  vestments,  handed  it  to  the  beggar,  and  then 
hurried  on  to  the  new  church,  drawing  his  alb  and  chasuble 
about  him,  to  conceal  the  deficiency  of  a  nether  garment. 
The  church  was  crowded,  the  Emperor  Leo  and  the  Empress, 
the  senate,  and  almost  the  whole  city  were  present.  Mar- 
cian was  bidden  celebrate  the  Holy  Sacrifice  before  all,  in 
the  new  church  he  had  built.  So,  full  of  shame,  he  began, 
hoping  that  the  folds  of  his  chasuble  would  conceal  the 
absence  of  a  tunic.  But  all  saw  him  as  though  clothed 
beneath  his  sacerdotal  vestments  with  a  garment  as  of  pure 
gold,  which  flashed  as  he  moved.  The  patriarch  Gennadius 
was  offended,  and  rebuked  him  when  the  liturgy  was  over, 
for  having  worn  a  private  garment,  more  splendid  than  his 
ecclesiastical  vesture,  and  worthy  only  of  an  emperor.  Mar- 
cian fell  at  his  feet,  and  denied  that  he  had  worn  any  such 
raiment.  Then  Gennadius,  wroth  at  his  having  spoken 
falsely,  as  he  thought,  for  he  supposed  his  eyes  could  not  have 
been  deceived,  caught  him  by  the  vesture,  and  drew  it  aside, 
and  behold  !  Marcian  was  bare  of  all  other  garments  save 
his  sacerdotal  apparel. 

S.  Marcian  built  also  the  church  of  S.  Irene,  another  of 
S.  Isidore,  and  a  baptistery  of  magnificent  appearance,  sur- 

* * 


136  Lives  of  tlie  Saints.  cj»°uary ,o- 

rounded  with  five  porches,  like  that  at  Jerusalem.  "But  this 
one,"  says  the  chronicler,  "was  greater  than  that  by  the  sheep 
market,  for  here  greater  miracles  were  wrought  than  there. 
To  that,  an  angel  descended  on  one  day  in  the  year,  and 
healed  but  one  at  a  time ;  at  this,  whenever  a  servant  of  the 
Lord  ministers,  Christ  himself  is  present  The  healing, 
moreover,  is  not  but  once  a  year,  but  daily,  and  not  of 
bodies  only,  but  of  souls  as  well." 

S.  Marcian's  great  compassion  extended  to  women  of  bad 
character,  and  despising  the  slander  and  gossip  which  he 
might  occasion,  by  visiting  them  in  their  houses,  setting  only 
before  his  eyes  the  blessedness  of  plucking  these  brands  from 
the  burning,  he  often  sought  them  out  in  haunts  of  crime; 
and  if  they  had  taken  up  evil  courses  through  poverty  only, 
he  found  for  them  honest  occupations,  and  by  his  exhorta- 
tions and  tears,  and  his  overflowing  charity,  he  convinced 
and  persuaded  many  of  these  unhappy  women,  so  that  they 
came  openly  and  did  penance,  and  some  he  sent  pilgrimages 
to  Jerusalem,  and  some  went  into  solitude,  and  recom- 
pensed for  the  past  by  self-mortification  in  the  desert 


S.  DOMITIAN,  B.  C. 

(ABOUT   600.) 

[Greek  Menaea  and  Roman  Martyrology.  His  life  in  the  Menaea,  and 
fuller  by  Theophylact  Simocatta.  He  is  mentioned  also  by  Evagrius,  his 
contemporary.  A  letter  to  him  from  S.  Gregory  the  Pope,  is  extant, 
praising  his  learning,  prudence  and  zeal.] 

S.  Domitian  was  the  son  of  pious  parents,  Theodore  and 
Eudoxia  by  name.  He  was  an  intimate  friend,  if  not,  as 
Evagrius  says,  "  a  kinsman  of  the  Emperor  Maurice."  He 
was  married  for  a  few  years,  but  his  wife  dying,  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  services  of  the  Church,  and  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Melitene,  in  Armenia,  at  the  age  of  thirty. 

* % 


January  io.]  S.     Agatko.  137 

On  the  murder  of  Hormisdas,  the  Persian  King,  his  son 
Chosroes  II.,  succeeded  him  (592),  but  the  General  Varam 
having  revolted  against  him,  and  being  deserted  by  many  of 
his  soldiers,  Chosroes  fled  with  his  wife,  and  two  newly-born 
children,  to  Circesium.  Thence  he  sent  an  embassy  to  the 
Emperor  Maurice,  desiring  peace ;  for  at  that  time  war  was 
being  waged  between  the  Persians  and  the  Roman  em- 
perors. At  the  persuasion  of  S.  Domitian,  Maurice  ad- 
mitted his  suit,  and  treated  Chosroes  as  his  guest,  instead  of 
as  an  exile,  welcomed  him  with  royal  gifts,  and  placed  the 
whole  of  his  body-guards,  and  the  entire  Roman  army,  at  his 
disposal.  Moreover,  by  way  of  still  greater  distinction,  he 
sent  Domitian,  Bishop  of  Melitene,  to  attend  him.  The 
Roman  army  defeated  Varam,  and  Chosroes  was  re- 
instated on  the  throne  of  Persia. 

Domitian  was  liberally  recompensed  for  his  share  in  this 
transaction,  but  he  kept  nothing  for  himself.  Every  gift 
made  him,  he  offered  to  the  Church,  or  to  the  poor ;  restor- 
ing churches,  and  supporting  hospitals.  He  died  at 
Constantinople,  whither  he  had  been  summoned  by  the 
Emperor. 


S.  AGATHO,  POPE. 

(about  682.) 

[His  life  by  Anastasius,  the  librarian.  Commemorated  by  the  Greeks  on 
Feb.  21st.] 

Agatho,  a  Sicilian  by  birth,  was  remarkable  for  his 
charity  and  gentleness.  Having  been  several  years  trea- 
surer of  the  Church  of  Rome,  he  succeeded  Domnus  in  the 
Pontificate,  in  679.  He  was  represented  by  three  legates  in 
the  sixth  general  council,  the  third  of  Constantinople,  in 
680,  against  the  Monothelite  heresy,  which  he  confuted  in 

* % 


* 1$ 

1 38  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  10. 

a  learned  letter  to  the  Emperor  Constantine  Pogonatus, 
appealing  to  the  constant  tradition  of  the  Apostolic  Church 
of  Rome,  "acknowledged,"  says  he,  "by  the  whole 
Catholic  Church  to  be  the  mother  and  mistress  of  all  the 
churches,  and  to  derive  her  superior  authority  from  S.  Peter, 
the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  to  whom  Christ  committed  his 
whole  flock,  with  a  promise  that  his  faith  should  never  fail." 
On  the  25th  day  of  February,  the  Council  decided 
against  Macarius,  author  of  the  Monothelite  heresy,  and 
solemnly  was  the  episcopal  stole  (orarium)  removed  from  his 
shoulders,  and  from  those  of  Basil,  Bishop  of  Crete,  who 
followed  his  opinion,  and  their  thrones  were  cast  out  of  the 
council  hall,  in  token  that  they  were  removed  from  their 
office,  and  ejected  from  the  communion  of  the  Church. 
This  Pope  restored  S.  Wilfrid  to  the  see  of  York,  from 
which  he  had  been  ejected  by  the  Bishops  and  King  of 
Northumbria,  with  the  consent  of  S.  Theodore,  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury. 


S.   SETHRIDA,    V.,   ABSS. 

(7TH    CENT.) 

[Anglican  Martyrologies,  Saussaye.    Authority  :—  15ede,  Eccles.  Hist., 
lib.  iii.  c.  8.] 

Bede  says  that  Sethrida  was  a  daughter  of  the  wife  of 
Anna,  King  of  the  East  Angles,  and  that  she  served  God 
in  the  monastery  of  Brie,  "  for  at  that  time,  but  few  monas- 
teries being  built  in  the  country  of  the  Angles,  many  were 
wont,  for  the  sake  of  the  monastic  conversation,  to  repair 
to  the  monasteries  of  the  Franks  or  Gauls  ;  and  they  also 
sent  their  daughters  there  to  be  instructed,  and  delivered  to 
their  heavenly  bridegroom,  especially  in  the  monasteries  of 
Brie,  Chelles,  and  Andelys." 

* * 


January  10.]  S.      WUHoifl.  1 39 


S.  WILLIAM,  AB.  AND  ABR  OF  BOURGES. 

(a.d.  1209.) 

[Gallican  Martyrologies.  His  life,  written  by  a  contemporary,  was  pub- 
lished, with  the  style  altered  and  shortened,  by  Surius  ;  the  same  is  re-pub- 
lished by  the  Bollandists,  together  with  a  second  life,  written  by  another 
contemporary,  from  a  MS.  at  Antwerp.  Another  life  by  a  Canon  of 
Bourges,  date  uncertain,  was  published  by  Labbe,  Bibl.  nova  II.,  p.  379, 
386.] 

On  the  death  of  Henry  de  Sully,  Archbishop  of  Bourges, 
the  clergy  of  that  church,  unable  to  agree  upon  a  successor, 
requested  Eudo,  Bishop  of  Paris,  to  nominate.  For  this 
purpose,  the  bishop  came  to  Beauvais,  but  found  it  no  easy 
matter  to  decide,  without  causing  an  eruption  of  party  feel- 
ing. In  his  desire  to  choose  a  good  man,  and  one  who 
would  commend  himself  to  all,  in  consultation  with  two 
friends,  he  resolved  on  committing  the  matter  to  God. 
Accordingly,  all  the  most  advisable  names  were  written  on 
slips  of  parchment,  and  were  sealed,  and  then  deposited  be- 
neath the  corporal  on  the  altar.  The  Bishop  celebrated 
very  early,  with  great  devotion,  and  earnestly  besought  God 
to  indicate  him  whom  he  had  chosen.  When  mass  was 
over,  he  put  his  hand  beneath  the  corporal,  and  drew  forth 
one  of  the  billets.  He  broke  the  seal  in  the  presence  of  his 
two  friends,  and  saw  that  the  name  of  William,  abbot  of 
Challis,  was  written  on  the  parchment. 

No  one  else  was  privy  to  this  appeal.  As  he  left  the 
church,  the  clergy  whom  he  had  convened  to  elect  cried  out 
"that  they  desired  William  of  Challis  as  their  bishop,"  and 
on  him  the  majority  of  votes  fell.  Then  the  bishopric  was 
offered  to  William,  but  he  recoiled  from  accepting  it,  with 
the  greatest  dismay,  for  he  was  a  man  of  retiring  habits 
and  of  singular  humility.  However,  on  an  order  coming 
to  him  from  the  superior  of  the  society,  the  abbot  of 
Citeaux,  and  also  from  the  papal  legate,  he  was  unable  to 

* * 


I* — .% 

1 40  Lives  of  the  Saints.  ]*.vmti  iaj 

refuse ;  and  he  was  consecrated  in  the  year  1200.  After  the 
ceremony  was  over,  he  laid  aside  the  vestments  in  which  he 
had  received  his  ordination,  and  which  were  of  little  value, 
in  a  press,  till  his  dying  day. 

In  his  new  dignity  he  omitted  nothing  of  the  severity  of 
his  cloister  life,  disciplining  himself  more  strictly  than 
before,  because  his  business  was  calculated  to  distract  his 
thoughts,  and  his  high  position  was  dangerous  to  humility. 

He  was  gentle  and  loving  to  penitent  sinners;  and  to- 
wards the  incorrigible  he  was  stern,  but  he  refused  to  have 
recourse  to  the  civil  power  against  them ;  he  had  a  horror 
of  shedding  blood,  so  that  he  looked  with  the  utmost  repug- 
nance upon  the  violence  and  warlike  customs  of  his  time. 
When  the  crusade  against  the  Albigenses  was  resolved 
upon,  William  of  Beauvais  resolved  on  accompanying  the 
expedition.  Perhaps  his  earnestness  would  move  the  here- 
tics to  repentance,  and  his  horror  of  bloodshed  might  serve 
as  a  check  upon  the  crusaders.  The  Albigensian  heresy, 
which  was  a  revival  of  Paulicianism,  ate  as  a  canker  into 
the  Church  of  France.  It  was  not  even  a  form  of  Christi- 
anity, but  was  a  heathen  philosophical  sect  which  had 
adopted  a  few  Christian  tenets. 

The  history  of  the  sect  was  as  follows  : — Manes,  a  Persian 
heathen,  flourished  in  the  middle  of  the  third  century,  dying 
about  277,  the  founder  of  a  new  religion,  after  having  been, 
like  Simon  Magus,  a  temporary  and  nominal  convert  to  the 
Gospel.  He  was  not  an  inventor  of  his  religion,  but  merely 
a  blender  of  the  earlier  Gnostic  heresies  with  the  Persian 
doctrines  of  Zoroaster,  added  to  a  somewhat  larger  element 
of  Christianity  than  the  Gnostics  had  chosen  to  accept. 
The  Paulicians  were  a  sect  which  took  shape  about  660,  out 
of  Manichaeism,  or  the  religion  of  Manes.  They  were 
cruelly  persecuted  by  the  Byzantine  Emperors,  during  two 
whole  centuries,  and  spread  to  the  West  by  degrees ;  one 

* ^ 


January  10.]  S.      William.  1 4  1 

stream  emigrated  to  Bohemia,  where  it  became  the  parent 
of  Hussitism ;  the  other  to  the  south  of  France,  where  it 
was  called  Albigensianism. 

The  fundamental  dogma  of  this  new  Manichseism  was 
a  dualism  of  good  and  evil  principles  or  gods,  equally 
matched.  The  evil  was  the  origin  of  the  visible  creation, 
the  world  and  men's  bodies ;  the  good  God  was  the  creator 
of  the  invisible  world  and  men's  souls.  The  opposition  of 
matter  and  spirit  constituted  the  basis  of  their  moral 
systems.  These  systems  were  diverse ;  some,  regarding 
everything  natural  as  evil,  abstained  from  meat,  from 
marriage,  and  from  all  employments ;  whilst  others,  regarding 
the  soul  as  so  distinct  from  the  body  as  to  be  incapable  of 
being  soiled  by  any  of  its  actions,  gave  themselves  up  to  the 
grossest  licentiousness. 

The  moral  condition  of  Provence,  where  Albigensianism 
held  sway,  was  like  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  as  may  be  seen 
by  the  poetry  of  the  troubadours ;  so  that  God's  wrath  could 
not  but  fall  on  a  land  so  polluted.  The  licentiousness 
which  this  creed  encouraged,  helped  to  make  it  spread,  and 
the  Christianity  of  the  whole  of  the  south  of  France  was  im- 
perilled. At  the  head  of  these  heretics,  the  Count  of 
Toulouse  invaded  the  lands  of  the  King  of  Aragon,  devas- 
tated them,  robbed  the  churches,  burnt  the  monasteries, 
and  ill-treated  the  clergy,  "and  slaughtered  the  Christians 
of  either  sex,  and  every  age,  without  mercy,"  says  Matthew 
Paris.  "  But  this  being  at  length  made  known,  their  here- 
tical aggression  was  put  down  by  the  faithful  Christians, 
who,  at  the  command  of  Pope  Gregory,  had  come  as  cru- 
saders from  various  parts  of  the  West,  for  the  defence  of  the 
Christian  faith." 

William  of  Beauvais  was  not,  however,  destined  to  play  a 
part  in  that  sanguinary  war.  He  was  called  to  his  rest  in 
January,  1209.      Drawing  near  his  end,  he   received   first 

g, — — — — £1 


* ; * 

142  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  10. 

extreme  unction,  and  then,  as  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was 
brought  to  him,  he  struggled  up  in  his  bed,  and  falling  on 
his  knees,  with  many  tears,  and  hands  outspread  in  the 
shape  of  a  cross,  he  adored  the  presence  of  his  Saviour. 
The  night  following,  he  began  as  usual  to  recite  the  Office  of 
Nocturns,  but  was  unable  to  pronounce  more  than  the  first 
two  words,  and  sign  himself  with  the  cross.  Then  he  was 
laid,  at  his  desire,  on  ashes,  and  the  vestments  in  which  he 
had  been  consecrated  bishop  were  produced,  that  he  might 
be  laid  dressed  in  them  in  his  grave.  His  body  was  buried 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Bourges,  but  was  burnt,  and  the  ashes 
scattered  to  the  winds,  by  the  Calvinists,  on  the  occasion 
of  their  plundering  the  Cathedral  in  1562. 

Patron  of  Bourges,  and  of  the  ancient  University  of  Paris. 

In  art,  he  is  represented  holding  a  monstrance,  or  in 
adoration  before  one,  to  represent  his  great  devotion  to- 
wards the  Blessed  Sacrament.  He  is  also  represented  with 
tears  on  his  cheeks,  for  he  is  said  to  have  wept  whenever 
he  was  told  of  some  scandal  of  his  diocese,  or  wrong  done 
to  the  poor.  It  may  be  noted,  as  a  coincidence,  that  his 
festival  was  the  day  of  Archbishop  William  Laud's  martyr- 
dom in  1644. 


S.  GONSALVO,  P.  C. 

(about  1259.) 

[His  life  was  compiled  in  Portuguese,  by  Didacus  de  Rosario,  of  the 
order  of  Friar  Preachers,  from  scattered  notices  and  confused  accounts.] 

S.  Gonsalvus  or  Gonsalvo,  was  born  of  noble  parents, 
at  the  little  village  of  Vizzella,  in  the  diocese  of  Braga,  in 
Portugal.  Many  little  incidents  are  related  of  his  child- 
hood, as  how,  when  an  infant  at  the  font,  he  stretched  out 
his  little  hands  to  the  crucifix ;  how  his  nurse  was  wont  to 

*— — * 


*- 


-* 


January  10.]  S.      GonSCllvO.  I  4^ 

take  him  with  her  to  church,  and  watch  his  little  eyes  fixed 
intently  upon  the  figure  of  Christ  crucified,  on  the  rood 
screen ;  how,  when  nothing  else  would  still  his  cries,  the 
child  was  taken  to  church,  and  there  was  content  looking 
at  the  statues  and  pictures  of  the  Saints. 

When  he  grew  to  man's  estate,  he  was  ordained  priest, 
and  was  appointed  rector  of  the  church  of  S.  Payo,  near 
his  father's  estates.  Here  he  lived  as  a  father  to  the  poor, 
and  was  regular  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  duties  as  parish 
priest.  After  a  while  the  desire  came  upon  him  to  visit  the 
Holy  Land,  and  he  left  his  nephew,  a  priest,  who  had  been 
trained  in  his  house,  and  in  whose  principles  he  had  confi- 
dence, to  take  charge  of  the  parish  during  his  absence. 
He  then  started  on  his  pilgrimage,  and  was  absent  for  four- 
teen years.  In  the  meantime,  his  nephew,  relieved  of  the 
constraint  of  his  uncle's  presence,  abandoned  himself  to  the 
indulgence  of  his  ruling  passion,  a  love  of  field  sports.  He 
filled  the  parsonage  house  with  dogs  and  hawks,  and  spent 
his  time  in  hunting  and  revelry.  The  poor  were  forgotten, 
and  the  church  was  neglected.  At  length,  Gonsalvo  not  re- 
turning, the  nephew  asked  the  Bishop  to  institute  him  to 
the  living,  pretending  that  he  had  received  authentic  infor- 
mation of  the  death  of  his  uncle. 

One  day  Gonsalvo,  ragged,  sunburnt,  with  grizzled  locks 
and  foot-sore,  returned  to  his  parsonage  ;  but  the  dogs,  at 
the  sight  of  a  mendicant,  began  to  bark  furiously,  and  when 
he  attempted  to  pass  them,  bit  him  and  tore  his  rags,  so 
that  he  was  compelled  to  retire.  The  parish  priest  hearing 
the  noise,  looked  from  his  window,  and  seeing  a  poor  man 
in  tatters  defending  himself  against  the  dogs,  sent  a  servant 
to  call  them  off,  and  tell  the  poor  man  that  the  owner  of  the 
house  objected  to  beggars. 

Gonsalvo,  filled  with  indignation  against  his  nephew  for 
the  manner  in  which  he  had  betrayed  his  trust,  rushed  into 


* 


-* 


144  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ,o. 

the  house,  passed  the  dogs  which  the  servant  restrained,  and 
appeared  in  the  door  of  the  dining  apartment,  as  the  nephew 
was  seating  himself  to  an  abundant  and  sumptuous  meal. 

Then  the  old  pilgrim's  wrath  flamed  forth,  and  he  cried, 
"  Was  it  for  this  that  thy  uncle  left  his  parish  and  committed 
the  care  of  souls  into  thy  hands  ?  A  wolf  now  guards  the 
sheep  and  devours  them  !" 

The  nephew,  exasperated  at  the  words  of  reproach,  and 
angry  at  the  intrusion,  caught  up  a  stick,  and  running  upon 
the  old  man,  drove  him  with  many  blows  from  the  house, 
refusing  to  listen  to  him,  and  believe  him,  when  he  declared 
his  name. 

Then  Gonsalvo,  full  of  grief,  retired  to  a  wild  spot  near 
Amarante,  where  was  an  old  shed,  beside  the  river  Tamego. 
Amarante  was  once  a  small  town ;  at  this  time  it  had  fallen 
into  complete  ruin,  and  was  deserted.  Here  Gonsalvo 
erected  a  little  oratory  in  honour  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and 
laboured  to  instruct  the  peasantry  of  the  neighbourhood  in 
Christian  doctrine,  and  to  stir  up  in  their  hearts  the  love  of 
God.  But  he  was  not  satisfied  that  he  was  serving  his 
Master  in  the  way  which  He  willed.  He  therefore  prayed 
most  earnestly  to  be  guided  aright,  and  to  have  the  will  of 
God  made  clear  to  him.  After  long  fasting,  one  day,  as  he 
lay  prostrate  in  supplication  before  the  altar,  Our  Lady 
appeared  to  him  and  said,  "  Rise,  Gonsalvo,  and  enter  that 
religious  order  in  which  thou  shalt  hear  the  Angelic  Saluta- 
tion open  and  close  the  offices  of  prayer." 

Then  Gonsalvo  took  his  staff  and  wandered  from  city  to 
city,  and  from  monastery  to  monastery,  listening  to  the 
choir  offices,  but  ever  being  disappointed,  for  they  closed 
with  Benedicamtis  Domino,  and  not  with  the  Ave  Maria. 
And  when  he  came  to  Vinerana,  where  were  four  religious 
houses,  whereof  one  was  Dominican,  and  another  Francis 
can,  by  chance  he  sought  shelter  in  the  former.    Then  when 

* * 


-* 


January  io.]  S.     GoflSalvO.  1 45 

the  bells  began  to  chime  for  vespers,  he  went  to  the 
church,  and  heard  the  friars  begin  their  office  with  Ave 
Maria.  With  beating  heart  he  waited  for  the  conclusion  of 
vespers,  and  heard  them  close  with  the  Angelic  Salutation. 
Then  he  knew  that  he  had  found  the  place  of  his  rest ; 
and  he  asked  to  be  admitted  into  the  order,  and  was 
gladly  received.  But  after  awhile  he  desired  to  go  back 
to  his  poor  peasants  at  Amarante;  therefore  he  asked  leave 
of  the  superior,  and  it  was  accorded  him.  So  he  returned 
to  his  cell  and  oratory,  and  there  preached  to  the  people 
the  word  of  God. 

Now  it  happened  that  at  Amarante  there  was  a  ford  of  the 
Tamego,  which  was  much  used,  as  it  lay  in  the  direct  route 
from  Braga  to  Lamego  and  the  south.  It  was,  however, 
dangerous,  and  a  great  number  of  lives  were  lost  whilst 
Gonsalvo  lived  at  Amarante.  He  considered  much  the  ne- 
cessity there  was  that  a  bridge  should  be  built,  how  many 
lives  it  would  be  the  means  of  saving,  and  what  a  great 
convenience  it  would  prove  to  travellers.  He  accordingly 
resolved  on  building  one,  and  he  went  round  the  country 
begging  for  his  bridge.  By  many  his  project  was  regarded 
as  visionary,  and  he  would  himself  have  despaired  of 
accomplishing  his  undertaking,  had  he  not  been  upheld  by 
his  strong  confidence  in  the  goodness  of  God.  This  confi- 
dence was,  moreover,  sustained  by  signs  and  wonders, 
showing  him  that  God  approved  his  undertaking.  If  we 
may  believe  the  life  of  him,  written  by  De  Rosario,  on  one 
occasion  he  begged  of  a  nobleman,  who,  as  a  rude  joke, 
and  to  get  rid  of  the  beggar,  scribbled  a  couple  of  lines  on  a 
scrap  of  paper,  and  bade  him  take  it  to  his  wife,  who  would 
give  him  something.  The  Saint  walked  to  the  nobleman's 
castle,  and  was  exhausted  with  fatigue  when  he  reached  it 
and  presented  the  note.  The  lady  looked  at  it,  and  saw 
written   therein,    "  The  bearer   is   a  poor  fool  who  wishes 

VOL.    I.  IO 


-* 


*- 


-* 


I46  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  10. 

to  build  a  bridge.  Let  him  have  the  weight  of  this  paper 
in  cash."  She  laughed,  and  showed  the  message  to 
Gonsalvo,  telling  him  that  her  husband  had  been  making 
sport  of  him.  "  Be  it  so,"  said  the  priest,  "  yet  give  me 
the  weight  of  that  note  in  money."  She  cast  the  paper  into 
one  scale,  and  into  the  other  she  put  silver;  then,  to  her 
amazement,  the  note  weighed  a  large  sum  of  money.  Thus 
God  compensated  his  servant  for  his  labour,  and  punished 
the  nobleman  for  his  bitter  jest. 

Little  by  little  the  money  was  begged,  and  at  length  the 
poor  priest  was  able  to  set  masons  to  work,  and  to  erect  the 
desired  bridge  over  the  Tamego. 

S.  Gonsalvo  died,  and  was  buried  at  Amarante,  of  which 
place  he  is  patron. 

(Gonsalvus,  in  Portuguese,  Goncalo,  Gonsallo,  or  Gon- 
salvo. ) 

In  art,  he  is  represented  with  a  bridge  in  his  hand. 


B.  ORINGA,  OR  CHRISTIANA,  V. 

(a.d.  1310.) 

[Her  life,  from  an  ancient  MS.,  in  the  Convent  of  S.  Clara,  at  Florence, 
was  published  by  Silvanus  Razzi,  and  reprinted  in  the  Acta  Sanctorum.] 

The  Blessed  Oringa  was  born  at  Sancta  Croce,  on  the 
Arno,  in  the  year  1237,  of  poor  parents,  who  died  whilst 
she  was  young.  She  kept  the  cattle  on  the  farm  occupied 
by  her  two  brothers.  The  cows  were  taken  by  her  into  the 
woods  to  pasture,  and  they  became  so  docile  that  they 
obeyed  her  voice  in  all  things.  When  she  grew  to  a 
marriageable  age,  her  brothers  determined  that  she  should 
become  the  wife  of  a  small  farmer  in  the  parish ;  but  she  ran 
away,  and  escaping  across  the  river,  made  her  way  to  Lucca. 


■* 


* -* 

January  io.]  B.     Oriflga.  1 47 

The  way  was  long,  and  night  falling,  the  young  girl  lost  the 
road,  and  wandered  in  a  forest  At  the  same  time  her 
fancy  conjured  up  horrible  forms  to  frighten  her.  She 
would  had  died  of  terror,  but  for  the  companionship  of  a 
little  hare  which  played  about  her  skirts,  as  tamely  as  if  it 
had  been  a  favourite  kitten,  and  rested  on  her  lap  all  night, 
when  she  cast  herself  down  in  weariness.  Next  morning, 
the  hare  gambolled  before  her,  and  led  her  into  the  road, 
after  which  it  ran  away.  At  Lucca  she  entered  the  service 
of  a  pious  family.  As  she  was  annoyed  on  account  of  her 
beauty,  she  stained  her  skin  with  walnut  juice.  Having 
gone  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Mount  Gargano,  on  which  the  arch- 
angel Michael  had  once  appeared,  for  she  held  the  angels  in 
great  reverence ;  on  her  return,  some  men  with  whom  she 
fell  in  on  the  road,  towards  dusk,  misled  her  with  evil 
purpose;  but  S.  Michael  himself  flashing  out  of  the  dark- 
ness at  her  side,  protected  her,  and  led  her  in  the  right  road. 
Later  in  life  she  visited  Rome,  and  took  service  in  the  house 
of  a  pious  widow,  named  Margaret,  who  treated  her  as  a 
daughter  rather  than  as  a  domestic.  At  Rome  she  was 
called  Christiana,  instead  of  her  baptismal  name  of  Oringa. 
She  occasionally  fell  into  ecstasies  as  she  prayed,  and  saw 
into  futurity.  When  aged  seventy  she  was  struck  with  para- 
lysis, in  which  she  lay  three  years.  As  she  died,  her  face  is 
said  to  have  shone  with  a  celestial  light 


* * 


* * 

[48  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  n. 


January  11. 

S.  Balthazar,  JT.,  mm  of  the  Magi,  circ.  a.d.  54. 

S.  Hyoinus,  Pope,  a.d.  156. 

S.  Liucius,  B.  of  Brinditi,  in  Italy. 

S.  Pal*mon,  H.,  4<A  cent. 

S.  Theodosius,  of  Antioch,  circ.  a.d.  413. 

S.  Theodosius  the  C(enobiarch,  a.d.  529. 

S.  Vitalis,  Monk  of  Gaza,  'jth  cent. 

S.  Salvius,  B.  of  Amiens,  circ.  a.d.  6ij. 

S.  Eowin,  B.  of  Worcester,  circ.  a.d.  720. 

S.  Paulinus,  Pair,  of  Aquileia,  a.d.  8oj.  (See  Jan.  28.; 

S.  BALTHAZAR,  K. 
(about  54.) 

[Cologne  Breviary.  In  some  Martyrologies  S.  Gaspar  is  commemorated 
on  this  day,  and  S.  Balthazar  on  the  6th  Jan.  ;  but  the  Cologne  use  is  to 
commemorate  S.  Melchior  on  the  1st,  S.  Gaspar  on  the  6th,  and  S.  Baltha- 
zar on  the  nth  January,  as  the  1st  Jan.  is  the  Circumcision,  and  the  6th 
is  the  Epiphany  ;  at  Cologne  this  day  is  kept,  with  special  services,  as  the 
Feast  of  the  Three  Kings  ;  Melchior,  Gaspar,  and  Balthazar  being  hereon 
commemorated  together.] 

jN  this  day  S.  Balthazar,  one  of  the  Magi,  King 
and  Bishop,  having  received  consecration  from 
the   hands   of    the   Apostle    S.    Thomas,    after 
celebrating  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  fell  asleep.     Ac- 
cording to  some  authorities,  the  Three  Kings   met  in  the 
royal   church  of  the   city  Sewe,    in   the    East ;    when   the 
eldest,  Melchior,  being  one  hundred  and  sixteen  years  old, 
consecrated  the  venerable  mysteries  on  Jan.  ist,  the  Octave 
of  the   Nativity,    and   then   died.     On   the   feast   of    the 
Epiphany,  Gaspar,  aged  one  hundred  and  twelve,  did  the 
same;   and   on   the    nth    January,   Balthazar,    aged    one 
hundred  and  nine,  offered  the  adorable  sacrifice,  gave  up 
the  ghost,  and  was  laid  in  the  same  sepulchre  with  the  two 

* — * 


January  no     .S'.S'.  Hyginus  and  Palczmon.  149 

others.     See   what  has   been   said   on  the   subject   of  the 
Three  Kings  in  the  account  of  the  Epiphany. 


S.  HYGINUS,  POPE. 

(156.) 

Of  this  Pope,  who  succeeded  S.  Telesphorus,  little  is 
known.  Eusebius  informs  us  that  he  sat  four  years  in  the 
chair  of  S.  Peter.  He  brought  the  church  in  Rome  into 
more  complete  organization  than  heretofore,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  repose  after  persecution,  enjoyed  under  the 
mild  Emperor  Antoninus  Pius.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a 
Greek,  and  to  have  been  educated  in  philosophy.  In  his 
reign  the  heretics  Cerdo  and  Valentine  came  to  Rome. 


S.  PAL^EMON,  H. 

(4TH    CENT.) 

[From  the  authentic  life  of  S.  Pachomius,  of  whom  S.  Palaemon  was  the 
master.] 

S.  Pauemon  was  an  aged  hermit  in  the  deserts  of  Upper 
Egypt,  when  Pachomius,  released  from  military  service,  and 
desiring  to  flee  the  world,  came  to  him  and  desired  to 
become  his  pupil.  The  old  anchorite  refused  to  receive 
him,  because  his  manner  of  life  was  too  severe  for  a  youth. 
"  I  eat  nothing  but  bread  and  salt,"  said  he  ;  "I  never  taste 
wine,  and  I  watch  half  the  night."  Then,  answered  Pacho- 
mius, "  I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord,  who  will  give  me 
strength  and  patience  to  assist  thee  in  thy  prayers  to 
follow  thy  holy  conversation." 

Then  Palaemon,  beholding  him  with  his  spiritual  eye,  saw 

«- * 


* * 

1 50  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  u. 

that  he  was  a  chosen  vessel,  and  admitted  him  to  be  his 
disciple.  So  they  lived  together,  serving  the  Lord  in  fast- 
ing and  tears  and  prayer. 

When  the  feast  of  Easter  came,  Pachomius,  to  honour 
the  day  of  the  Resurrection,  prepared  a  dinner  of  herbs 
and  oil,  and  set  it  before  the  master.  But  Palaemon,  press- 
ing his  brow  with  his  hands,  exclaimed,  "  My  Lord  suffered 
on  the  Cross,  and  shall  I  taste  oil  ?"  So  he  refused  it,  and 
contented  himself  with  bread  and  salt 

One  evening,  a  solitary  came  into  their  cell,  and  asked  to 
join  them  in  prayer;  then,  filled  with  a  spirit  of  presump- 
tion, he  said,  "  If  we  are  the  true  servants  of  God,  let  us 
say  our  prayers  standing  on  live  coals." 

But  Palaemon  was  wroth,  and  rebuked  him  for  his  pride. 

However,  the  monk  persisted,  and  by  Satan's  craft,  he 
stood  unhurt  on  the  red-hot  cinders.  Then  he  retired  to  his 
own  cell,  puffed  up  with  self-confidence.  But  pride  goes 
before  a  fall,  and  shortly  after  he  fell  into  fleshly  lust ;  then, 
filled  with  shame,  lie  crept  back  to  the  cave  of  Pala:mon, 
and  falling  at  his  feet,  with  bitter  tears,  confessed  his  sin. 

When  S.  Pachomius  was  inspired  to  found  a  monastery  at 
Tabenna,  he  announced  his  intention  to  S.  Palaemon.  The 
old  man  accompanied  his  pupil,  and  took  up  his  abode  at 
Tabenna,  for  he  loved  Pachomius  as  his  own  son,  and  he 
could  not  bear  to  be  separated  from  him.  Therefore  he 
said,  "  Let  us  make  a  compact  together,  that  we  part  not, 
the  one  from  the  other,  till  God  break  our  union."  And  to 
this  Pachomius  gladly  agreed.  So  they  lived  much  to- 
gether, till  the  old  man  died,  and  then  his  disciple  buried 
him  at  Tabenna. 


*- 


* — % 

January  n.j  S.    Theodosius.  1  s  I 


S.  THEODOSIUS,  THE  CCENOBIARCH,  H. 
(a.d.  529.) 

[Greek  Menaea  and  Roman  Martyrology.  The  life  of  S.  Theodosius, 
written  by  a  contemporary  anonymous  author,  supposed  by  Baronius,  but 
without  sufficient  grounds,  to  be  Cyril,  the  author  of  the  lives  of  SS. 
Euthemius,  Saba,  and  John  the  Silent.  But  Cave  says  that  the  life  of  S. 
Theodosius  was  written  by  Theodore,  Bishop  of  Pera.] 

Theodosius  was  born  in  the  little  town  of  Marissa,  in 
Cappadocia,  in  423.  He  was  ordained  reader,  but  some 
time  after,  being  moved  by  Abraham's  example,  to  quit  his 
country  and  friends,  he  resolved  to  visit  the  holy  places. 
He  accordingly  set  out  for  Jerusalem,  and  visited  the  famous 
S.  Simeon  Stylites,  near  Antioch,  on  his  way.  S.  Simeon 
accosted  him  by  name,  and  bade  him  ascend  his  pillar, 
when  he  embraced  him,  and  foretold  several  circumstances 
of  his  life,  giving  him  advice  how  to  act  under  them. 
Having  satisfied  his  devotion  in  visiting  the  holy  places  in 
Jerusalem,  he  betook  himself  to  the  cell  of  Longinus,  a  holy 
man,  who  dwelt  near  the  tower  of  David,  and  to  him  he 
became  dear,  on  account  of  his  singular  virtue.  A  lady, 
named  Icelia,  having  built  a  church  to  the  honour  of  the 
Virgin  Mother  of  God,  on  the  high  road  to  Bethlehem, 
Longinus  appointed  his  disciple,  Theodosius,  to  the  charge 
of  this  church.  But  he  did  not  retain  this  charge  long ; 
loving  solitude,  he  retired  to  the  mountains,  and  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  cave,  where  the  Wise  Men  were  traditionally 
held  to  have  reposed  on  their  way  to  Bethlehem.  Here  he 
passed  his  time  in  labouring  with  his  hands,  in  fasting,  and 
in  prayer.  His  food  was  coarse  pulse  and  herbs ;  for  thirty 
years  he  did  not  taste  bread.  Many  desired  to  serve  God 
under  his  direction  :  he  at  first  determined  to  admit  six  or 
seven,  but  was  soon  obliged  to  receive  a  greater  number, 
and  at  length  came  to  a  resolution  never  to  reject  any  that 
presented  themselves  with  dispositions  that  seemed  sincere. 

*- * 


The  first  lesson  he  taught  his  monks  was,  that  the  continual 
remembrance  of  death  is  the  foundation  of  religious  perfec- 
tion. To  impress  the  thought  of  death  more  deeply  on  their 
minds,  he  caused  a  great  sepulchre  to  be  constructed  as  the 
common  burying  place  of  his  monks.  When  it  was  complete, 
half  seriously  and  half  in  jest,  he  said :  "  The  tomb  is 
finished,  which  of  you  will  be  its  first  inmate  ?"  Then  one, 
Basil,  a  priest,  knelt  at  his  feet,  and  asked  to  be  the  first  to 
celebrate  the  dedication  of  the  sepulchre.  Therefore  S. 
Theodosius  ordered  all  the  offices  of  the  dead  to  be  recited 
for  Basil,  first  for  three  days,  then  for  nine,  and  then  for 
forty ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  forty  days  he  died  without 
sickness  or  pain,  as  though  going  to  sleep.  And  for  forty 
days  after  his  death  he  was  seen  by  the  abbot  Theodosius 
in  his  place  among  the  brethren,  chanting  the  praises  of 
God.  None  others  saw  him,  but  one  Aetius  heard  his 
voice.  Then  the  abbot,  hearing  Aetius  confess  this,  prayed 
to  God  to  open  his  eyes,  and  seeing  the  dead  monk  again  in 
choir,  he  pointed  him  out;  and  then  Aetius  saw  him,  and 
ran,  and  would  have  embraced  him,  but  he  vanished  out  of 
his  sight. 

Once,  as  Easter  approached,  there  was  a  deficiency  of 
food  in  the  monastery,  and  they  had  not  even  bread  for  the 
Holy  Sacrifice.  This  troubled  them  sore,  for  they  feared 
that  the  holy  feast  would  come,  and  pass,  without  their  being 
able  to  celebrate  the  divine  liturgy.  Therefore  they  prayed 
with  one  accord  to  God,  and  behold  !  mules  laden  with 
provisions  arrived  at  the  monastery,  and  amongst  the  pro- 
visions was  bread  for  the  sacrifice. 

The  lustre  of  the  sanctity  of  S.  Theodosius  drawing  great 
numbers  to  him,  who  desired  to  serve  God  under  his 
direction,  he  resolved  on  building  a  large  monastery  to 
receive  them  all ;  but  where  to  build  it  he  knew  not. 
After  some  consideration,  he  took  a  censer,  and  put  char- 

* £, 


* # 

January  n.]  S.      TkeodoSlUS.  I  53 

coal  and  incense  thereon,  but  no  fire,  and  he  prayed :  "  O 
God  who  didst  of  old,  by  many  and  great  miracles,  confirm 
Israel  \  who  didst  to  thy  servant  Moses  persuade  by  many 
and  various  marvels,  to  take  on  him  the  burden  of  ruling 
that  people ;  who  didst  turn  the  water  of  Egypt  into  blood, 
and  then  re-convert  it  again ;  who  didst  give  to  Gideon  an 
earnest  of  his  victory  in  the  fleece  and  the  dew ;  who  didst 
assure  Hezekiah  of  an  addition  to  his  days,  by  the  return  of 
the  shadow  on  the  dial ;  who  didst  at  the  cry  of  Elias  send 
fire  from  heaven  to  consume  his  sacrifice.  Thou  art  the 
same  Lord,  unto  whom  this  day  I  plead  !  .  Hear  thou  the 
prayers  of  the  servant,  and  show  me  where  I  shall  build  a 
temple  to  Thy  honour,  and  a  habitation  for  thy  servants 
and  my  disciples.  Show,  O  Lord  !  by  the  kindling  of  these 
coals,  where  the  place  shall  be,  to  Thy  glory,  and  to  the 
acknowledgment  of  many,  and  the  confirmation  of  the 
truth."  Having  uttered  this  prayer,  he  walked  through  the 
land  with  the  censer  in  his  hand.  And  when  he  came,  after 
much  wandering,  to  a  desert  spot  called  Gutilla,  on  the  shores 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  he  turned  and  came  home,  and  as  he  neared 
his  cave  the  coals  kindled,  and  the  smoke  of  the  incense  rose 
towards  heaven,  as  a  sign  that  thence  should  ascend  the 
prayers  of  the  faithful  from  age  to  age,  in  the  daily  sacrifice. 
There  accordingly  he  erected  his  monastery,  and  it  was  soon 
filled  with  holy  monks.  To  this  monastery  were  annexed 
several  infirmaries ;  one  for  the  sick  monks,  two  for  sick 
lay  folk  •  one  for  the  aged  and  feeble  monks,  and  one  for 
persons  deranged.  All  succours,  spiritual  and  temporal, 
were  afforded  in  these  hospitals,  which  were  kept  in  admir- 
able order,  and  were  attended  by  the  monks  with  alacrity 
and  care.  S.  Theodosius  erected  also  several  buildings  for 
the  reception  of  strangers,  in  which  he  exercised  an  un- 
bounded hospitality,  entertaining  all  that  came,  for  whose 
use  there  were,  on  one  occasion,  above  a  hundred  tables 

* 4, 


* * 

154  LiveS    Of  t/ie    SaintS.  [January  u. 

served  with  provisions.  The  monastery  itself  was  like  a 
city  of  saints  in  the  midst  of  a  desert;  and  in  it  reigned 
regularity,  silence,  charity,  and  peace.  There  were  four 
churches  belonging  to  it,  one  for  each  of  the  three  nations 
of  which  his  community  was  composed,  each  speaking  a 
different  language,  and  the  fourth  church  was  for  the  use  of 
the  recovering  lunatics.  The  nations  into  which  his  com- 
munity was  divided  were  the  Greeks,  and  all  those  using  the 
liturgy  in  the  Greek  tongue ;  the  second  church  was  used  by 
those  having  divine  worship  in  the  Armenian  language ;  and 
in  the  third  church  the  holy  praises  of  God  were  sung,  and 
the  sacrifice  was  offered  in  the  language  of  the  Bessi,  that 
is,  of  the  wandering  nations  of  Arab  race.  "  Thus  by 
them,"  says  the  contemporary  writer ;  "  the  rule  of  hymnody 
was  carried  out,  and  seven  times  a  day  was  it  offered  to  the 
God  of  all.  But  when  it  behoved  them  to  participate  in  the 
venerable  Sacrament,  the  law  was  very  beautifully  consti- 
tuted among  them,  that  till  after  the  Gospel,  divinely  in- 
spired, each  should  hear  in  his  own  church  and  language 
the  divine  voice ;  but  after  that  they  were  assembled  into 
one — the  possessed  alone  excepted — namely,  into  the  large 
church  of  the  Greeks,  as  is  done  to  this  day,  and  there  they 
participate  together  of  the  sanctifying  gifts." 

At  times  not  set  apart  for  public  prayer  and  necessary 
rest,  every  monk  was  obliged  to  apply  himself  to  some 
trade  or  manual  labour.  Sallust,  patriarch  of  Jerusalem, 
appointed  S.  Sabas  superior  of  all  the  hermits  in  Palestine, 
and  S.  Theodosius  head  of  all  the  monks  living  in  com- 
munity, for  which  reason  he  obtained  the  title  of  Coeno- 
biarch. 

These  two  great  servants  of  God  lived  in  close  friendship, 
and  together  strove  against  the  heresy  of  Eutyches,  which 
then  devastated  the  Church.  For  the  Emperor  Anastasius 
favoured    the    Eutychians ;    he  banished  the  patriarch  of 

* * 


£, * 

January  no  ,5*.  Theodosius.  155 

Antioch  and  the  patriarch  of  Jerusalem,  and  introduced  an 
heretical  bishop,  Severus,  into  the  latter  see,  commanding  the 
Syrians  to  obey  and  hold  communion  with  him.  Then  these 
great  ascetic  saints,  with  those  bodies  of  religious  men 
whom  they  ruled,  proved  bulwarks  of  the  faith,  uncompro- 
mising defenders  of  the  truth.  Like  rocks  in  the  desert, 
they  remained  unchanged  and  immovable.  In  vain  did  the 
emperor  employ  persuasion,  attempt  bribery,  and  finally 
exile  the  Coenobiarch;  he  could  not  be  moved,  but  journeyed 
through  the  land  from  which  the  bishops  had  been  expelled, 
confirming  the  faithful,  and  denouncing  the  established 
heresy.  At  Jerusalem,  having  assembled  the  people  to- 
gether, he  from  the  pulpit  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  "  If  any 
man  receives  not  the  four  General  Councils  as  the  four 
Gospels,  let  him  be  anathema  I"  Such  boldness  in  an  old 
man,  venerated  for  his  sanctity,  inspired  with  courage  those 
whom  the  edicts  had  frightened.  His  discourses  produced 
a  wonderful  effect  on  the  people,  and  God  gave  a  sanction  to 
his  zeal  by  miracles.  The  Emperor  sent  an  order  for  his 
banishment,  which  was  executed;  but  dying  soon  after, 
Theodosius  was  re-called  by  his  successor  Justin,  who  was 
a  Catholic. 

Our  Saint  survived  his  return  eleven  years.  So  great  was 
his  humility,  that,  seing  two  monks  at  variance  with  each 
other,  he  threw  himself  at  their  feet,  and  would  not  rise  till 
they  were  reconciled.  Once,  having  excommunicated  one 
of  his  monks  for  some  offence,  the  man  defiantly  excom- 
municated Theodosius,  and  he  meekly  accepted  the  sen- 
tence, and  acted  as  one  cut  off  from  the  society  of  the  faith- 
ful and  participation  in  the  Sacraments,  till  the  guilty  monk, 
confounded  and  repentant,  removed  the  ban.  During  the 
last  year  of  his  life  he  was  afflicted  with  a  painful  disease, 
which  reduced  him  to  a  shadow.  It  was  noticed  by  those 
who  nursed  him,  that,  even  in  his  sleep,  his  lips  murmured 

4n — — * 


* — — * 

I56  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  (January  n. 

the  familiar  words  of  prayer.  Perceiving  the  hour  of  his 
dissolution  draw  nigh,  he  gave  his  last  exhortations  to  his 
disciples,  and  foretold  many  things  which  came  to  pass  after 
his  death;  and  then  fell  asleep  in  Christ,  on  the  nth  Jan., 
529.  Peter,  patriarch  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  whole  country, 
assisted  at  his  interment  He  was  buried  in  the  first  cell, 
the  cave  of  the  Magi. 


S.  VITALIS,  MONK. 

(BEGINNING   OF    7TH    CENT.) 

[Greek  Menaea.  His  history  occurs  as  an  episode  in  the  life  of  S.  John 
the  Almsgiver,  patriarch  of  Alexandria,  by  Leontius,  Bishop  of  Naplous  in 
Cyprus,  from  the  relation  of  the  Acts  of  S.  John,  by  his  clergy.  This  life 
was  commended  in  the  seventh  General  Council,  and  is  perfectly  authentic] 

The  story  of  Vitalis,  or  Vitali,  monk  of  Gaza,  is  brought 
in  by  the  Bishop  of  Naplous,  in  his  life  of  S.  John  the 
Almsgiver,  almost  accidentally,  to  illustrate  the  long  suffer- 
ing and  charity  of  S.  John,  that  thinketh  not  evil.  But 
I  know  not,  in  all  the  glorious  histories  of  the  blessed  ones, 
one  story  so  deeply  touching  as  that  of  the  little  known, 
and  soon  forgotten,  monk  of  Gaza. 

Where  he  was  born  we  know  not ;  of  what  parents  he 
was  born  we  are  ignorant ;  but  we  do  know  that  his  was  a 
heart  full,  to  overflowing,  with  the  divine  charity  of  Him  who 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  those  that  were  lost. 

Whilst  John  the  Almsgiver  was  patriarch  of  Alexandria, 
there  arrived  in  that  city,  an  old  man  of  sixty,  or  there- 
abouts, in  monk's  garb.  In  his  cell  he  had  thought  over 
the  crimes  of  that  pleasure-loving  city,  and  having  read  in 
the  Gospel  the  story  of  the  woman  taken  in  adultery,  in 
the  old  monk's  heart  kindled  a  sudden  fire  of  zeal,  which 
drove  him  to  Alexandria,  that  he  might  save  some  of  those 

* » * 


* * 

January  ii.]  S.      Vltdlis.  I  57 

poor  women  who  sold  themselves.  Arrived  in  the  city,  he 
obtained  the  names  of  all  the  harlots,  and  then  hired  him- 
self as  a  day  labourer.  Every  evening  he  took  his  wage, 
and  with  it  went  to  one  of  the  unfortunate  women,  and 
supped  with  her,  and  gave  her  the  rest,  and  said,  "  I  pay 
thee  this,  that  thou  mayest  spend  one  night  without  sin." 
Then  he  retired  into  a  corner  of  the  room,  where  she  slept, 
and  passed  the  night  in  reciting  psalms,  and  praying  with 
many  tears  for  the  woman  present ;  and  he  rejoiced  that, 
by  his  toil  of  the  day,  he  had  saved  her  from  evil  on  that 
one  night 

And  thus  he  visited  all  the  harlots  in  Alexandria,  and 
from  each,  as  he  went  forth  in  the  morning,  he  took  a 
solemn  promise  that  she  would  reveal  to  none  what  had 
taken  place,  so  long  as  he  was  alive. 

Now,  considerable  scandal  arose,  and  Vitalis  was  loudly 
condemned.  One  said  to  him,  "  Monk,  take  to  thyself  a 
wife,  and  lay  aside  thy  religious  garb,  that  the  name  of  God 
be  not  blasphemed  through  thee."  But  Vitalis  answered, 
"  I  will  not  take  to  myself  a  wife,  nor  will  I  change  my 
habit.  He  that  will  be  scandalized,  let  him  be  scandalized. 
What  hast  thou  to  do  with  me  ?  Hath  God  constituted  you 
to  be  my  judges?  Go  to,  look  to  yourselves,  ye  have  not 
to  answer  for  me.  There  is  one  Judge  and  one  holy  day  of 
judgment,  wherein  every  man  shall  give  an  account  of  his 
own  works." 

One  of  the  Defenders  of  the  Church  (this  was  the  name 
of  an  officer  who  saw  to  the  order  and  morals  of  the  clergy 
and  monks,)  came  to  the  patriarch  John,  and  told  him  what 
he  had  heard  of  the  abbot  Vitalis.  But  the  patriarch 
closed  his  ears,  and  rebuked  the  accuser,  saying,  "  Remem- 
ber what  were  the  words  of  Constantine  of  pious  memory  ; 
he  said  that  the  crimes  of  priests  ought  not  to  be  divulged, 
and  that  if  he  detected  a  priest  or  a  monk  in  wrong-doing, 

*■ — * 


* * 

158  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  "• 


he  would  draw  his  purple  imperial  robe  over  him,  so  that 
none  might  be  scandalized.  And  when  quarrelsome  indi- 
viduals wrote  accusations  against  certain  prelates,  he  formed 
them  into  a  packet,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire."1 

But  Vitalis,  though  he  bore  without  a  murmur  the  shame, 
the  hard  speeches,  and  false  accusations  that  fell  to  his 
share,  was  deeply  sensitive  for  the  souls  of  others,  lest 
through  him  they  should  be  wounded.  Yet  he  could  not 
relinquish  his  mission ; — the  love  of  God  constrained  him 
thereto,  and  many  a  poor  woman,  moved  by  the  tears  and 
prayers  of  the  holy  man,  deserted  her  evil  courses,  and 
married  and  settled  into  ways  of  steadiness  ;  and  many,  filled 
with  bitter  compunction,  fled  from  that  city  of  temptation, 
to  expiate  their  offences  in  the  desert.  Seeing  how  great  a 
blessing  attended  his  work,  Vitalis  persevered  in  spite  of 
obloquy ;  but  he  prayed  to  God  to  reveal  the  truth  after  his 
death,  that  the  reproach  might  be  wiped  off  the  monastic 
garb  he  wore ;  but  he  would  not  suffer  the  truth  to  be 
known  whilst  he  lived,  or  the  houses  of  ill-fame  would  be 
closed  against  him,  and  the  prosecution  of  his  mission 
would  be  hindered. 

One  morning,  very  early,  as  he  left  a  harlot's  door, 
a  man  came  in,  and  seeing  a  monk  issue  forth,  he  struck 
him  over  the  head,  exclaiming,  "  How  long,  rascal,  do  you 
outrage  Christ  by  not  mending  your  wicked  ways  ?" 

Then  said  Vitalis,  "  Believe  me,  friend,  thou  shalt 
receive  from  me,  a  humble  monk,  such  a  stroke  that  all 
Alexandria  shall  ring  with  it."  So  saying,  he  went  his  way 
to  the  little  chamber  where  he  lodged,  by  the  church  of 
S.  Metras,  near  the  Gate  of  the  Sun. 

What  followed  is  not  very  clear.  But  if  we  put  aside 
some  absurd  fable  which  has  attached  itself    to  the  story, 

1  Theodoret,  lib.  I.  c.  II. 
* . ,j, 


*- 


-* 


January  ii.]  .S*.      Vltalls.  I  59 

we  shall  find  that  it  was  something  like  this : — Probably 
from  the  unfortunate  woman,  from  whom  Vitalis  had  gone 
forth,  and  to  whom  the  man  who  had  smitten  him  entered, 
that  man  heard  the  truth ;  then,  full  of  contrition,  he  rushed 
forth  and  proclaimed  abroad  how  he  had  wronged  Vitalis, 
and  how  mistaken  was  the  popular  opinion  concerning  him. 
So  a  crowd  collected,  and  rolled  in  the  direction  of  the  cell 
of  Vitalis,  by  the  Gate  of  the  Sun.  The  man  foremost  of 
all  cried,  "  Pardon  me  my  violence,  Vitalis,  thou  man  of 
God  !"  And  so  the  mob  broke  into  the  little  hovel  where 
he  dwelt.  Then  they  saw  the  despised  monk  kneeling 
upright,  with  his  hands  clasped,  dead  and  rigid ;  and  before 
him  lay  a  sheet  of  paper,  whereon  were  written  the  words  of 
the  Apostle,  i  Cor.  iv.  5,  "  Judge  nothing  before  the  time, 
until  the  Lord  come,  who  both  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden 
things  of  darkness,  and  will  make  manifest  the  counsels  of 
the  heart." 

Then,  when  this  was  noised  abroad,  almost  the  whole  city 
came  together,  and  the  patriarch  John  arrived,  and  all  the 
clergy,  and  they  took  up  the  body  of  Vitalis.  Thereupon, 
all  those  women  who  had  been  converted  by  him,  and  were 
married,  came  forth,  bearing  lamps  and  candles,  and  went 
before  him,  beating  their  breasts  and  crying,  "  We  have  lost 
our  deliverer  and  instructor  !"  And  they  told  how,  by  his 
urgent  prayers  and  burning  zeal  for  their  souls,  he  had 
rescued  them  from  a  life  of  misery.  But  he  who  had 
smitten  the  old  monk  his  death-blow,  struck  with  compunc- 
tion, renounced  his  vicious  ways,  and  entered  the  monastery 
at  Gaza,  and  lived  and  died  in  the  cell  once  occupied  by 
Vitalis.  Thus  did  Vitalis  deal  him  such  a  blow  that  all 
Alexandria  rang  with  it. 


g, ■ * 


g — * 

1 60  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rjaanuyn. 

S.  SALVIUS,OF  AMIENS,  B.  C. 
(about  615.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  There  are  three  bishops,  Saints,  of  this  name, 
one  Bishop  of  Albi,  one  Bishop  of  Angoulfime,  and  this  one,  Bishop  of 
Amiens  ;  they  are  often  confounded  by  writers.  ] 

S.  Salvius  lived  as  a  monk  for  many  years,  in  what 
monastery  is  not  known.  He  was  afterwards  elected 
abbot.  Being  chosen  Bishop  of  Amiens,  he  ruled  the 
diocese  with  prudence,  but  little  or  nothing  is  known  of  his 
acts.  As  he  died  in  an  ecstasy,  a  brilliant  light  is  said  to 
have  illuminated  his  cell,  and  praying  with  extended  arms, 
he  surrendered  his  soul. 


S.  EGWIN,  OF  WORCESTER,  B.  C. 

(about  720.) 

[The  life  of  S.  Egwin  was  written  by  his  contemporary,  S.  Britl.wald, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  This  original  has  not  descended  to  us,  but  a 
fragment  of  a  somewhat  later  recension  of  this  life  exists  ;  and  a  still 
later  life,  probably  an  amplification  of  that  by  Brithwald.  Moreover,  S. 
Egwin  is  mentioned  by  Matthew  of  Westminster,  Florence  of  Worcester  ; 
William  of  Malmesbury  also  speaks  of  him  in  his  Acts  of  the  English 
Bishops.] 

S.  Egwin  was  of  the  royal  blood  of  the  Mercian  kings, 
and  was  born  at  Worcester,  in  the  reign  of  Ethelred  and 
Kenred.  He  was  elected  Bishop  in  692.  By  his  zeal  in 
rebuking  the  illicit  connexions  formed  by  some  of  the  great 
men  in  his  diocese,  and  vehemence  in  reforming  the  cor- 
rupt morals  of  all,  he  stirred  up  a  party  against  him,  and 
with  the  connivance  of  the  King,  he  was  expelled  his 
diocese.  Egwin,  meekly  bending  to  his  fate,  determined  to 
make  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome.  According  to  a  popular 
mediaeval  legend,  he  also  resolved  to  expiate  at  the  same 


-* 


S.    EGWIN,    BISHOP   OF   WORCESTER. 
After  Cahier. 


Jan. ,  p.  160.  ] 


[Jan.  ii. 


-* 


January  ii.]  S.     Egwlfl.  l6l 

time  certain  sins  of  his  youth,  by  putting  iron  fetters  on  his 
feet,  which  were  fastened  with  a  lock,  and  he  cast  the  key 
into  the  Avon.  As  he  neared  Italy,  on  a  ship  from  Mar- 
seilles, a  huge  fish  floundered  upon  deck,  and  was  killed  and 
cut  open  ;  when,  to  the  surprise  of  the  Saint,  in  its  belly  was 
found  the  key  to  his  fetters.  He  accepted  this  as  an  ex- 
pression of  the  will  of  heaven,  and  released  his  limbs. 
According  to  another  version  of  the  story,  the  fish  was 
caught  in  the  Tiber,  after  S.  Egwin  had  appeared  before  the 
Pope  in  Rome ;  but  William  of  Malmesbury  doubts  the 
whole  story  as  an  idle  legend. 

After  his  return,  with  the  assistance  of  Kenred,  King  of 
Mercia,  S.  Egwin  founded  the  famous  abbey  of  Evesham, 
under  the  invocation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  After  this  he 
undertook  a  second  journey  to  Rome,  in  company  with 
Kenred,  and  Offa,  King  of  the  East  Saxons.  S.  Egwin  died 
on  the  30th  December,  717,  and  was  buried  in  the  monastery 
of  Evesham.  The  translation  of  his  relics  probably  took 
place  on  Jan.  nth,  on  which  day  many  English  Martyr- 
ologies  mark  his  festival. 


vol.  1.  ri 

* * 


[62  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i*. 


January  12. 

S.  Akcadius,  M.,  in  Africa,  circ.  A.n.  a6o. 

SS.  Satyrus,  Cyriacus,  Mosentius,  MM. 

SS.  Tigris,  P.,  and  Eutropius,  MM.,  a.d.  404. 

S.  John,  B.  C.  of  Ra-venna,  circ.  a.d.  495. 

S.  C*sARiA,  V.,  at  Aries,  circ.  a.d.  S30. 

S.  Victorinus,  Ab.,  in  Spain,  a.d.  560. 

S.  Benedict  Biscop,  in  England,  a.d.  703. 

SS.  Xxxvin,  Monks,  MM.,  in  Ionia,  circ.  a.d.  750. 

&  Ailrid,  Ab.  of  Ricvaulx,  in  Yorkshire,  a.d.  1 166 

S.    ARCADIUS,   M. 

(ABOUT   A.D.    260.) 

[Roman  Martyrology,  those  of  Bede,  Ado,  Usuardus,  Notker,   &c. 
Authority,  a  panegyric  by  S.  Zeno,  Bishop  of  Verona,  his  contemporary.] 

fURING   a  severe    outbreak  of  persecution,    in 

the  reign  of  Gallienus,   in  the  north  of  Africa, 

Arcadius,  doubting   his  own  constancy,  sought 

refuge  in  flight,  and  escaping  from  Caesarea,  hid 

himself.    As  he  did  not  appear  at  the  sacrifices,  the  Governor 

ordered  his   house   to   be   searched.     It  was  found  to  be 

deserted,  save  by  a  relative  of  his,  whom  the  soldiers  seized, 

and,  at  the  command  of  the  Governor,  detained  till  Arcadius 

should  surrender  himself. 

Hearing  of  this  capture,  and  unwilling  that  his  kinsman 
should  suffer,  Arcadius  deserted  his  hiding  place,  and  gave 
himself  up.  The  Governor,  exasperated  at  his  constancy  in 
refusing  to  adore  the  gods  of  the  state  religion,  ordered  him 
to  be  dismembered,  piecemeal  and  leisurely.  First  his 
fingers  were  taken  off,  joint  by  joint;  then  his  toes,  then  his 
hands  at  the  wrists,  and  his  feet  at  the  ankles.  As  he  ex- 
tended his  hands  to  amputation,  he  prayed,  "Thy  hands 
have  made  me  and  fashioned  me ;  O  give  me  understanding 

* * 


Januarys.]  SS.      Tigris    (171(1   EutTOpluS.  1 63 

that  I  may  keep  thy  law."  Thereupon  the  judge  ordered  his 
tongue  to  be  cut  out  He  was  cast  on  his  back,  and  his 
feet  were  taken  off.  Then  his  legs  and  arms  were  amputated 
at  the  knees  and  elbows,  finally  at  the  thighs  and  shoulders, 
so  that  he  was  nothing  save  a  human  trunk  in  a  pool  of 
blood,  with  his  limbs  in  little  fragments  scattered  about  him. 
Thus  he  expired ;  but  the  Christians  collected  the  portions 
of  his  body,  and  buried  them  with  the  trunk  reverently, 
glorifying  God  for  having  given  such  constancy  to  his  martyr. 
In  art,  represented  as  a  torso ;  sometimes,  for  some 
reason  unknown,  with  a  candle  in  his  hand. 


SS.  SATYRUS,  CYRIACUS,  MOSENTIUS,  MM. 
(date  uncertain.) 

[All  Martyrologies.  Nothing  is  known  for  certain  of  the  date  of  their 
martyrdoms,  or  whether  they  all  suffered  together.] 

S.  Satyrus  is  said  to  have  signed  the  cross,  and  breathed 
on  an  idol  in  the  street  of  Achaia  (on  the  Euxine?),  and  it 
fell.  Wherefore  he  was  executed  by  decapitation.  This  is 
stated  in  all  the  Martyrologies,  but  some  say  the  act  was 
done  at  Antioch.  Of  the  others,  his  companions,  nothing 
is  known. 


SS.  TIGRIS,    P.,  AND  EUTROPIUS,  LECTOR,  MM. 
(a.d.  404.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  German  Martyrologies.  Not  commemorated 
by  the  Greeks.  Authorities :  Sozomen,  lib.  viii.  c.  22,  23  ;  Nicephorus 
Callistus,  lib.  xiii.  ;  S.  John  Chrysostom  also,  in  his  12th  letter  to  S.  Olym- 
pias,  speaks  of  Tigris  the  priest.] 

When  S.  John  Chrysostom  had  incurred  the  anger  of  the 
Empress  Eudoxia,  by  declaiming  against  her  silver  statue  set 

* * 


* : * 

164  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ™. 

up  close  to  the  church  of  the  Eternal  Wisdom  at  Constan- 
tinople, by  her  machinations  he  was  deposed  and  exiled 
from  the  city,  and  Arsacius  was  ordained  patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople in  his  room.  But  a  large  company  of  bishops 
and  priests,  and  others  of  the  clerical  order,  refused  to  recog- 
nize the  right  of  Arsacius,  and  being  driven  from  the 
churches,  held  their  divine  worship  in  places  apart  For 
the  space  of  two  months  after  his  deposition,  Chrysostom 
remained  at  his  post,  though  he  refrained  from  appearing  in 
public ;  after  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave,  being  banished 
by  the  Emperor  Arcadius.  On  the  very  day  of  his  depar- 
ture the  church  caught  fire,  and  a  strong  easterly  wind 
carried  the  flames  to  the  senate  house.1  The  party  opposed 
to  S.  John  Chrysostom  immediately  spread  the  report  that 
this  fire  was  the  result  of  a  wilful  act  of  incendiarism  by  the 
Johannites,  or  party  of  the  exiled  bishop.  Socrates,  the 
historian,  strongly  prejudiced  against  Chrysostom,  distinctly 
charged  them  with  the  act.  He  says,  "  On  the  very  day  of  his 
departure,  some  of  John's  friends  set  fire  to  the  church," 
and  then  he  adds,  "  The  severities  inflicted  on  John's  friends, 
even  to  the  extent  of  capital  punishment,  on  account  of 
this  act  of  incendiarism,  by  Optatus,  the  prefect  of  Con- 
stantinople, who  being  a  pagan  was,  as  such,  an  enemy 
to  the  Christians,  I  ought,  I  believe,  to  pass  by  in  silence." 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  fire  was  purely  accidental, 
and  that  it  was  used  as  a  means  of  endeavouring  to  excite 
the  people  of  Constantinople  against  their  favourite  Chry- 
sostom, that  bold  champion  of  the  truth  against  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places,  and  the  Erastianism  of  a 
large  party  of  bishops  and  clergy,  just  as  before 
Nero  had  charged  the  burning  of  old  Rome  on  the 
Christians. 

On  this  false  charge  some  of  the  most  faithful  and  zealous 

1  Socrates,  Eccl.  Hist.,  lib.  vi.  c.  18. 
>j, * 


>i<— * 

January^.]  ,5*.      Tigris     dtld    EutVOpluS.  1 65 

adherents  of  Chrysostom  suffered,  amongst  them  were  the 
priest  Tigris,  and  the  reader  Eutropius.  The  rest  shall  be 
quoted  from  Sozomen,  who,  belonging  to  the  party  of  Chry- 
sostom, gives  those  details  which  Socrates  found  it  convenient 
to  omit: — "Both  parties  mutually  accused  each  other  of 
incendiarism ;  the  enemies  of  John  asserted  that  his  partizans 
had  been  guilty  of  the  deed  from  revenge ;  the  other  side, 
that  the  crime  had  been  perpetrated  by  their  enemies,  with 
intention  of  burning  them  in  the  church.  Those  citizens  who 
were  suspected  of  attachment  to  John,  were  sought  out  and 
cast  into  prison,  and  compelled  to  anathematize  him.  Arsacius 
was  not  long  after  ordained  over  the  Church  of  Constan- 
tinople. Nothing  operated  so  much  against  him  as  the  per- 
secution carried  on  against  the  followers  of  John.  As  these 
latter  refused  to  hold  communion,  or  even  to  join  in  prayer 
with  him,  and  met  together  in  the  further  parts  of  the 
city,  he  complained  to  the  Emperor  of  their  conduct.  The 
tribune  was  commanded  to  attack  them  with  a  body  of 
soldiers,  and  by  means  of  clubs  and  stones  he  soon  dispersed 
their  assembly.  The  most  distinguished  among  them  in 
point  of  rank,  and  those  who  were  most  zealous  in  their 
adherence  to  John,  were  cast  into  prison.  The  soldiers, 
as  is  usual  on  such  occasions,  went  beyond  their  orders, 
and  stripped  the  women  of  their  ornaments.  Although 
the  whole  city  was  thus  filled  with  trouble  and  lamenta- 
tion, the  affection  of  the  people  for  John  remained  the 
same.  After  the  popular  insurrection  had  been  quelled, 
the  prefect  of  the  city  appeared  in  public,  as  if  to  inquire 
into  the  cause  of  the  conflagration,  and  to  bring  the  perpe- 
trators of  the  deed  to  punishment ;  but,  being  a  pagan,  he 
exulted  in  the  destruction  of  the  Church,  and  ridiculed  the 
calamity. 

"  Eutropius,  a  reader,  was  required  to  name  the  persons 
who   had   set   fire   to   the   church;    but,    although  he  was 

* — ~ * 


-* 


1 66  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  u. 

scourged  severely,  although  his  sides  and  cheeks  were  torn 
with  iron  nails,  and  although  lighted  torches  were  applied  to 
the  most  sensitive  parts  of  his  body,  no  confession  could  be 
extorted  from  him,  notwithstanding  his  youth  and  delicacy 
of  constitution,  After  having  been  subjected  to  these 
tortures,  he  was  cast  into  a  dungeon,  where  he  soon  after- 
wards expired. 

"  A  dream  of  Sisinius  concerning  Eutropius  seems  worthy 
of  insertion  in  this  history.  Sisinius,  the  Bishop  of  the 
Novatians,  saw  in  his  sleep  a  man,  tall  in  stature,  and  hand- 
some in  person,  standing  near  the  altar  in  the  Novatian 
Church  of  S.  Stephen.  This  man  complained  of  the  rarity 
of  goodness  among  men,  and  said  that  he  had  been  search- 
ing throughout  the  city,  and  found  but  one  who  was  good, 
and  that  one  was  Eutropius.  Astonished  at  what  he  had 
seen,  Sisinius  made  known  the  dream  to  the  most  faithful  of 
his  priests,  and  commanded  him  to  make  search  for  Eutro- 
pius, wherever  he  might  be.  The  priest,  rightly  conjecturing 
that  this  Eutropius  could  be  no  other  than  he  who  had  been 
so  barbarously  tortured  by  the  prefect,  went  from  prison  to 
prison  in  quest  of  him.  At  length  he  found  him,  and  made 
known  to  him  the  dream  of  the  Bishop,  and  besought  him 
with  tears  to  pray  for  him.  Such  are  the  details  we  possess 
concerning  Eutropius. 

"  Tigris,  a  priest,  was  about  the  same  time  stripped  of  his 
clothes,  scourged  on  the  back,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and 
stretched  on  the  rack.  He  was  a  foreigner,  and  an  eunuch, 
but  not  by  birth.  He  was  originally  a  slave  in  the  house  of 
a  man  of  rank,  and  on  account  of  his  faithful  services  had 
obtained  his  freedom.  He  was  afterwards  ordained  priest, 
and  was  distinguished  by  his  moderation  and  meekness  of 
disposition,  and  by  his  charity  towards  strangers  and  the 
poor.  Such  were  the  events  which  took  place  in  Constan- 
tinople.    Those  who  were  in  power  at  court  procured  a  law 


* 


-tf 


January  12.]  .S.  Benedict  Biscop.  167 

in  favour  of  Arsacius,  by  which  it  was  enacted  that  the 
orthodox  were  to  assemble  together  in  churches  only,  and 
that  if  they  seceded  from  communion  with  the  above- 
mentioned  Bishop,  they  were  to  be  exiled." 


S.  C^ESARIA,  V. 
(about  a.d.  530.) 

[Gallican  Martyrologies.  Her  history  from  the  life  of  S.  Csesarius  of 
Aries,  her  brother,  by  his  disciple,  Cyprian.] 

S.  CjESaria  was  the  superior  of  a  convent  of  religious 
women,  erected  by  her  brother,  S.  Caesarius,  at  Aries. 
When,  in  507,  the  Franks  and  Burgundians,  under  Alaric, 
had  been  defeated  by  Clovis,  Theodoric  invaded  the  south 
of  Gaul  from  Italy,  and  besieged  the  city,  and  battered 
down  the  convent  which  had  been  erected  for  S.  Caesaria. 
When  tranquillity  was  re-established,  Caesarius  re-built  the 
monastery,  and  called  his  sister  from  Marseilles  to  inhabit  it. 
The  rule  of  S.  Caesaria,  drawn  up  by  her  brother,  exists, 
and  is  published  by  the  Bollandists. 


S.  BENEDICT  BISCOP. 

(a.d.  703.) 

[Roman,  Benedictine,  and  Anglican  Martyrologies.  Life  from  William 
of  Malmesbury,  Bede's  Homilies  and  Ecclesiastical  History,  Florence  of 
Worcester,  Matthew  of  Westminster.  The  following  account  is  con- 
densed from  the  life  of  S.  Benedict  Biscop,  in  Montalembert's  Monks 
of  the  West,  Bk.  xiii.,  c.  2.] 

Benedict  was  born  of  the  highest  Anglo-Saxon  nobility, 
in  the  year  628.  While  he  was  still  very  young,  he  held  an 
office  in  the  household  of  King  Oswy.  At  twenty-five  he 
gave  up  secular  life,  marriage,  and  his  family,  restored  his 

* -* 


1 68  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rjanuaryu. 

lands  to  the  king,  and  dedicated  himself  to  the  service  of 
God.  Before  he  settled  in  any  community  he  went  to 
Rome,  whither  he  had  been  long  attracted  by  that  desire  of 
praying  at  the  tomb  of  the  Apostles,  which  became  so 
general  among  the  Anglo-Saxons.  He  started  in  company 
with  S.  Wilfrid,  but  the  two  young  Northumbrian  nobles 
separated  at  Lyons.  After  his  first  visit  to  Rome,  Benedict 
returned  thither  a  second  and  a  third  time,  having  in  the 
meantime  assumed  the  monastic  habit  in  the  island  of 
Lerins.  Pope  Vitalianus,  struck  with  the  piety  and  know- 
ledge of  so  constant  and  zealous  a  pilgrim,  assigned  to  him, 
as  guide  and  interpreter,  that  Greek,  Theodore,  who  be- 
came Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  who,  when  he  went 
to  England,  transferred  the  monk  of  Lerins  to  be  abbot  of 
the  principal  monastery  in  Canterbury, 

After  thus  spending  two  years  with  the  new  Archbishop, 
the  abbot  Benedict,  instead  of  re-visiting  his  native  district, 
went  for  the  fourth  time  to  Rome,  671.  He  was  then  in 
the  prime  of  life  ;  but  when  it  is  considered  what  were  the 
difficulties  and  dangers  of  such  a  journey — at  such  a  time — 
when  we  remember  that  a  journey  from  London  to  Rome 
then  took  twice  as  long,  and  was  a  hundred  times  more 
dangerous  than  a  journey  from  London  to  Australia  is  now, 
we  are  amazed  at  the  energy  which  induced  so  many 
Anglo-Saxon  monks,  not  once  only,  but  many  times  in  their 
life,  to  cross  the  sea  and  the  Alps  on  their  way  to  Rome. 
His  fourth  expedition  was  undertaken  in  the  interests 
of  literature.  He  brought  back  a  cargo  of  books,  partly 
sold,  partly  given  to  him  ;  and,  in  passing  by  Vienne,  the 
ancient  capital  of  the  Gauls,  on  his  return,  he  brought  with 
him  many  more  which  he  had  deposited  there  in  the  charge 
of  his  friends.  When  he  returned  at  length  to  his  native 
Northumbria,  he  sought  King  Egfrid,  the  son  of  his  former 
master,  Oswy,  then  the  reigning  monarch,  and  told  him  all 

* * 


S.    BENEDICT    BISCOl'. 


Jan. ,  p.  it 


[Jan.  12. 


January^.]  S.  Benedict  Biscop.  169 

he  had  done  during  the  twenty  years  that  had  passed  since 
he  left  his  country  and  the  royal  service.  Then,  endeavour- 
ing to  communicate  to  him  the  religious  ardour  with  which 
his  own  heart  was  filled,  he  explained  to  the  King  all  he  had 
learned  at  Rome  and  elsewhere,  of  ecclesiastical  and  mon- 
astic discipline,  showing  him  the  books  and  relics  which  he 
had  brought  back.  Egfrid,  who  had  not  yet  begun  his 
struggle  with  Wilfrid,  allowed  himself  to  be  won  by  the 
stories  of  the  pilgrim,  for  whom  he  conceived  a  great  affec- 
tion ;  and  in  order  that  he  might  apply  his  experience  to  the 
government  of  a  new  community,  he  detached  from  his  own 
possessions,  and  presented  to  Benedict,  an  estate  situated  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Wear,  a  little  stream  which  flows  through 
Durham,  and  throws  itself  into  the  Northern  sea,  a  little 
south  of  the  Tyne.1  This  gave  the  name  of  Wearmouth 
to  the  new  monastery,  which  was  dedicated  to  S.  Peter, 
the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  according  to  the  express  wish  of 
Egfrid,  in  agreement  with  that  of  Benedict,  as  an  evidence 
of  his  leanings  towards  Rome. 

This  foundation  was  no  sooner  assured,  than  the  un- 
wearied Benedict  took  ship  again,  to  seek  in  France  masons 
to  build  him  a  stone  church,  in  the  Roman  style,  for  every- 
thing that  came  from  Rome  was  dear  to  him.  The  church 
was  carried  on  with  so  much  energy,  that,  a  year  after  the 
first  stone  was  laid,  the  church  was  roofed  in,  and  mass  was 
celebrated  under  one  of  those  stone  arches  which  excited  the 
surprise  of  the  English  in  the  seventh  century.  He  brought 
glass-makers  also  from  France,  for  there  were  none  in 
England  ;  and  these  foreign  workmen,  after  having  put  glass 
into  the  windows  of  the  church  and  new  monastery,  taught 
their  art  to  the  Anglo-Saxons.  Animated  by  a  zeal  which 
nothing  could  discourage,  and  inspired  by  intelligent  patriot- 
ism, and  a  sort  of  passion  for  beauty  in  art,  which  shrank 

1  Monk-Wearmouth  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river. 
*- * 


* — — * 

■ 

1 70  Lives  of  tlie  Saints.  [January «. 

neither  from  fatigue  nor  care,  he  sent  to  seek  beyond  the 
seas  all  that  he  could  not  find  in  England — all  that  seemed 
necessary  to  him  for  the  ornamentation  of  his  church;  and  not 
finding  even  in  France  all  he  wanted,  he  went  for  the  fifth 
time  to  Rome.  Even  this  was  not  his  last  visit,  for  some 
years  later  he  made  a  sixth  pilgrimage.  On  both  occasions 
he  brought  treasures  back  with  him,  chiefly  books  in  count- 
less quantities,  and  of  every  kind.  He  was  a  passionate 
collector,  as  has  been  seen,  from  his  youth.  He  desired 
each  of  his  monasteries  to  possess  a  great  library,  which 
he  considered  indispensable  to  the  instruction,  discipline, 
and  good  organization  of  the  community ;  and  reckoned 
upon  the  books  as  the  best  means  of  retaining  his  monks 
in  their  cloisters ;  for  much  as  he  loved  travelling  himself, 
he  did  not  approve  of  other  monks  passing  their  time 
on  the  highways  and  byways,  even  under  pretext  of  pil- 
grimages. 

Along  with  the  books  he  brought  a  great  number  of 
pictures  and  coloured  images.  By  introducing  these  images 
from  Rome  to  Northumberland,  Benedict  Biscop  has  written 
one  of  the  most  curious,  and,  at  the  same  time,  forgotten 
pages  in  the  history  of  art.  The  Venerable  Bede,  who 
speaks  with  enthusiasm  of  the  expeditions  of  his  master 
and  friend,  leads  us  to  suppose  that  he  brought  back  with 
him  only  portable  pictures,  but  it  may  be  supposed  that  the 
abbot  of  Wearmouth  brought  back  with  him  both  painters 
and  mosaic-workers,  to  work  on  the  spot  at  the  decoration 
of  his  churches.  How  can  it  be  otherwise  explained,  how 
pictures  on  wood,  brought  even  by  water  from  Rome  to 
England,  should  have  been  large  enough  to  cover  the  walls 
and  arches  of  the  two  or  three  churches  of  which  Bede 
speaks.  However  this  may  be,  the  result  was  that  the 
most  ignorant  of  the  Christians  of  Northumbria  found,  on 
entering  these  new   monastic   churches,    under   a   material 

* £ 


-* 


January  i2.]  S.  Benedict  Biscap.  iyi 

form,  the  attractive  image  of  the  instructions  which  the 
monastic  missionaries  lavished  on  them.  Learned  and  un- 
learned could  contemplate  and  study  with  delight,  we  are 
told,  here  the  sweet  and  attractive  form  of  the  new-born 
Saviour,  there  the  Twelve  Apostles  surrounding  the  Blessed 
Virgin ;  upon  the  northern  wall  all  the  parables  of  the 
Gospels  ;  upon  the  southern,  the  visions  of  the  Apocalypse  ; 
elsewhere,  a  series  of  pictures  which  marked  the  harmony 
between  the  Old  and  New  Testaments ;  Isaac  carrying  the 
wood  for  his  sacrifice  opposite  to  Jesus  bearing  His  Cross; 
the  brazen  serpent  opposite  Jesus  crucified,  and  so  on.1 
All  these  Bede,  who  had  seen  them,  describes  with  great 
delight 

After  Latin  and  Greek  books,  after  art,  it  was  the  turn  of 
music.  On  his  return  from  his  fifth  voyage,  Benedict 
brought  back  with  him  from  Rome  an  eminent  monk,  called 
John,  precentor  of  S.  Peter's,  to  establish  at  Wearmouth  the 
music  and  Roman  ceremonies  with  entire  exactitude.  As 
soon  as  he  had  arrived  at  Wearmouth,  this  learned  abbot 
set  out  in  writing  the  order  of  the  celebration  of  all  feasts 
for  all  the  year,  of  which  he  soon  circulated  numerous 
copies.  Then  he  opened  classes,  at  which  he  taught,  viva 
voce,  the  liturgy  and  ecclesiastical  chants.  The  best  singers 
of  the  Northumbrian  monasteries  came  to  listen  to  him, 
and  invited  him  to  visit  their  communities. 

The  passionate  zeal  of  Benedict  for  the  building  and 
decoration  of  his  monastic  houses,  did  not  make  him  forget 
the  more  essential  interests  of  his  foundations.  Before 
leaving  Rome  he  took  care  to  constitute  his  community 
upon  the  immovable  basis  of  the  rule  of  S.  Benedict.  He 
obtained  from  Pope  Agatho  a  charter  which  guaranteed 
the  liberty  and  security  of  the  new  monastery  of  Wear- 
mouth.   In  order  to  give  Benedict  a  new  mark  of  sympathy, 

1  Bede  :  Vitae   Abbt.  in  Wiramuth,  c.  6. 


*" 


*- 


172  Lives  of  the  Saints.  ua«">ao"». 

King  Egfrid  assigned  to  him  another  estate,  near  to  the 
first.  This  was  the  cradle  of  the  monastery  of  Jarrow,  the 
name  of  which  is  inseparably  linked  with  that  of  Bede. 
This  monastery  he  dedicated  to  S.  Paul,  and  appointed  one 
of  his  most  intimate  friends  and  fellow  pilgrims,  Ceolfrid, 
abbot  of  the  new  foundation. 

In  order  to  be  more  at  liberty  to  devote  his  time  to 
travel,  Benedict  took  a  coadjutor  in  the  government  of 
Wearmouth.  This  new  abbot  was  his  nephew,  Easterwin, 
his  junior  by  twenty-two  years,  and  like  Biscop,  of  high 
birth.  The  noble  youth  took  pride  in  following  minutely 
the  rule  of  the  house,  like  any  other  monk.  Thanks  to  his 
illustrious  biographer,  we  know  what  the  occupations  of  a 
Saxon  thane  turned  monk  were  in  the  seventh  century. 
His  duties  were  to  thrash  and  winnow  the  corn,  to  milk  the 
goats  and  cows,  to  take  his  turn  in  the  kitchen,  the  bake- 
house, and  the  garden,  always  humble  and  joyous  in  his 
obedience.  When  he  became  coadjutor,  and  was  invested, 
in  Biscop's  absence,  with  all  his  authority,  the  young  abbot 
continued  the  course  of  communal  life  ;  and  when  his  duties 
as  superior  led  him  out  of  doors  to  where  the  monks  laboured 
in  the  fields,  he  set  to  work  along  with  them,  taking  the 
plough  or  the  fan  in  his  own  hands,  or  forging  iron  upon  the 
anvil.  He  was  robust  as  well  as  young  and  handsome  ;  but 
his  look  was  infinitely  gentle,  and  his  conversation  full  of 
amiability.  When  he  was  compelled  to  reprove  a  fault,  it 
was  done  with  such  tender  sadness  that  the  culprit  felt  him- 
self incapable  of  any  new  offence  which  should  bring  a 
cloud  over  the  benign  brightness  of  that  beloved  face. 
His  table  was  served  with  the  same  provisions  as  that  of 
the  monks  ;  and  he  slept  in  the  general  dormitory,  which  he 
left  only  five  days  before  his  death,  being  then  hopelessly  ill, 
to  prepare  himself  in  a  more  solitary  place,  for  the  last 
struggle.     When  he  felt  his  end  approaching,  he  had  still 


-* 


January! 2.]  S.  Benedict  Biscop.  173 

strength  enough  left  to  go  down  into  the  garden;  and,  seat- 
ing himself  there,  he  called  to  him  all  his  brethren,  who 
wept  the  anticipated  loss  of  such  a  father.  Then,  with  the 
tenderness  which  was  natural  to  him.  he  gave  to  each  of 
them  a  last  kiss.  The  following  night  (March  7th,  686)  he 
died,  aged  thirty-six,  whilst  the  monks  were  singing  matins. 
When  Benedict  returned  from  his  last  expedition  to  Rome 
he  found  his  benefactor,  King  Egfrid,  and  his  nephew, 
Easterwin,  both  dead,  along  with  a  great  number  of  his 
monks,  carried  off  by  one  of  the  epidemics  then  so 
frequent.  The  only  survivors  at  Jarrow  were  the  abbot 
and  one  little  scholar,  whose  fame  was  destined  to  eclipse 
that  of  all  the  Saxon  Saints  and  kings,  who  are  scarcely 
known  to  posterity  except  by  his  pen.1 

Benedict  Biscop  did  not  lose  courage,  but  promptly 
collected  new  subjects  under  his  sway,  re-commenced 
and  pursued,  with  his  habitual  energy,  the  decoration  of 
his  two  churches  of  S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul.  The  monks 
had  already  chosen  as  successor  to  Easterwin  a  deacon 
named  Sigfried,  a  learned  and  virtuous  man,  but  affected 
with  lung  disease,  and  the  first  of  the  English  in  whom 
history  indicates  a  malady  so  general  and  so  fatal  to  their 
race. 

Benedict's  own  turn  was,  however,  soon  to  come.  God 
preserved  his  life  to  purify  him,  and  put  his  patience  to  a 
long  and  cruel  trial,  before  calling  him  to  his  eternal 
recompense.  After  having  devoted  the  first  thirteen  years 
of  his  abbacy  to  the  laborious  and  wandering  life  so  dear 
to  him,  and  to  those  distant  expeditions  that  produced  so 
many  fruits  for  his  order  and  his  country,  he  was  stricken 
with   a   cruel   disease,    which   lasted   for  three  years,  and 

1  This  is  Bede,  who  describes,  further  on,  how  the  abbot  and  that  little  boy 
celebrated  alone,  and  in  great  sadness,  the  whole  psalms  of  the  monastic  service, 
with  no  little  labour,  until  new  monks  arrived. 


* 

I  74  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  13. 

paralysed  all  his  members  one  after  the  other.  Though  kept 
to  his  bed  by  his  infirmity,  and  unable  to  follow  his 
brethren  to  the  choir,  he,  notwithstanding,  continued  to 
celebrate  each  service,  both  day  and  night,  with  certain  of 
the  monks,  mingling  his  feeble  voice  with  theirs.  At  night 
his  sleepless  hours  were  consoled  by  the  reading  of  the 
Gospels,  which  was  kept  up  without  interruption  by  a 
succession  of  priests.  Often,  too,  he  collected  the  monks 
and  novices  round  his  couch,  addressing  to  them  urgent 
and  solemn  counsels,  and  among  other  things  begging  them 
to  preserve  the  great  library  which  he  had  brought  from 
Rome,  and  not  to  allow  it  to  be  spoiled  or  dispersed ;  but 
above  all,  to  keep  faithfully  the  rules  which,  after  a  careful 
study  of  the  seventeen  principal  monasteries  which  he  had 
visited  during  his  journeys,  he  had  collected  for  them.  He 
also  dwelt  much  upon  the  injunction  he  had  already  often 
repeated,  that  they  should  pay  no  regard  to  high  birth  in 
their  choice  of  an  abbot,  but  look  simply  to  his  life  and 
doctrine.  "  If  I  had  to  choose  between  two  evils,"  said  he, 
"  I  should  prefer  to  see  the  spot  on  which  I  have  estab- 
lished our  dear  monastery  fall  back  into  eternal  solitude, 
rather  than  to  be  succeeded  here  by  my  own  brother,  who, 
we  all  know,  is  not  in  the  good  way." 

The  strength  of  the  abbot,  and  at  the  same  time  that  of 
his  poor  coadjutor,  was  by  this  time  so  exhausted  by  their 
respective  diseases,  that  they  both  perceived  that  they  must 
die,  and  desired  to  see  each  other  for  the  last  time  before 
departing  from  this  world.  In  order  that  the  wish  of  these 
two  tender  friends  should  be  accomplished,  it  was  necessary 
to  bring  the  dying  coadjutor  to  the  bed  of  the  abbot.  His 
head  was  placed  on  the  same  pillow  ;  but  they  were  both  so 
feeble  that  they  could  not  even  embrace  each  other,  and 
the  help  of  brotherly  hands  was  necessary  to  join  their  lips. 
All   the   monks   assembled  in  chapter  round   this  bed    of 

* * 


*f * 

Januarys]  SS.     XXX  VI I  I    Monks.  1 75 

suffering  and  love  ;  and  the  two  aged  Saints,  having 
pointed  out  among  them  a  successor,  approved  by  all, 
breathed  together,  with  a  short  interval  between,  their  last 
breath.  Thus  died,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two,  S.  Benedict  of 
England,  a  worthy  rival  of  the  great  patriarch  of  the  monks 
of  the  West,  whose  robe  and  name  he  bore. 


SS.  XXXVIII  MONKS,  IN  IONIA. 
(about  750.) 

[The  account  of  their  martyrdom  was  written  by  Theosterictus,  a  con- 
fessor in  the  same  Iconoclastic  persecution.] 

In  the  horrible  persecution  of  the  orthodox  by  Con- 
stantine  Copronymus,  on  the  subject  of  the  images,  con- 
cerning which  more  shall  be  said  elsewhere,  the  blessed 
martyr  Stephen  the  younger,  Archimandrite  of  Auxentia, 
was  in  prison,  when  a  monk,  Theosterictus  by  name,1  was 
admitted  to  him,  with  his  nose  cut  off,  and  his  cheeks  burnt 
with  pitch ;  he  came  from  the  monastery  of  Peleceta,  and 
related  to  the  abbot  how,  on  the  Wednesday  in  Holy  Week, 
as  the  unbloody  Sacrifice  was  being  offered  in  the  monastery 
church,  a  band  of  soldiers,  by  command  of  the  heretical 
Emperor,  broke  into  the  sacred  building  and  interrupted  the 
mysteries.  Thirty-eight  monks  were  chained,  the  rest  were 
mutilated,  their  noses  cut  off,  and  their  beards  steeped  in 
tar,  and  then  fired.  Then  the  soldiers  set  the  whole  convent 
in  flames.  The  thirty-eight  were  carried  off  to  the  borders 
of  Ephesus,  and  thrust  into  the  furnace  of  an  old  bath ;  the 
openings  were  then  closed,  and  they  were  suffocated 
therein. 

1  Not  to  be  confused  with  Theosterictus,  disciple  of  the  abbot  S.  Nicetas,  who 
writes  this  account. 

£ — £1 


*- 


-* 


1 76  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i». 

S.  AELRED,  AB.  OF  RIEVAULX. 

(a.d.  1 166.) 

[Authorities  :  His  life  in  Capgrave,  and  his  own  writings,  still  extant,  j 

He  was  of  noble  descent,  and  was  born  in  the  north  of 
England,  in  1109.  Being  educated  in  learning  and  piety, 
he  was  invited  by  David,  the  pious  King  of  Scotland,  to  his 
court,  made  master  of  his  household,  and  highly  esteemed 
both  by  him  and  the  courtiers.  His  virtue  shone  with 
bright  lustre  in  the  world,  particularly  his  meekness,  which 
Christ  declared  to  be  his  favourite  virtue,  and  the  distin- 
guishing mark  of  his  true  disciples.  The  following  is  a 
memorable  instance  to  what  a  degree  S.  Aelred  possessed  this 
virtue : — A  certain  person  of  quality  having  insulted  and 
reproached  him  in  the  presence  of  the  King,  Aelred  heard 
him  out  with  patience,  and  thanked  him  for  his  charity  and 
sincerity,  in  telling  him  his  faults.  This  behaviour  had  such 
an  influence  on  his  adversary  that  it  made  him  ask  his  par- 
don on  the  spot.  Another  time,  whilst  he  was  speaking  on  a 
certain  matter,  one  interrupted  him  with  very  harsh  reviling 
expressions  :  the  servant  of  God  heard  him  with  tranquility, 
and  afterward  resumed  his  discourse  with  the  same  calmness 
and  presence  of  mind  as  before.  He  desired  ardently  to 
devote  himself  entirely  to  God,  by  forsaking  the  world ;  but 
the  charms  of  friendship  detained  him  some  time  longer  in 
it,  and  were  fetters  to  his  soul ;  reflecting  notwithstanding  that 
he  must  sooner  or  later  be  separated  by  death  from  those  he 
loved  most,  he  condemned  his  own  cowardice,  and  broke  at 
once  those  bands  of  friendship,  which  were  more  agreeable  to 
him  than  all  other  sweets  of  life.  To  relinquish  entirely  all  his 
worldly  engagements,  he  left  Scotland,  and  embraced  the 
austere  Cistercian  order,  at  Rievaulx,  in  Yorkshire,  where 
Walter  de  l'Especke  had  founded  a  monastery  in  1122.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-four,  in  1133,  he  became  a  monk  under 


*— 


* 


S.    AELRED,   ABBOT   OF    RIEVAUX. 
From  a  Design  by  A.  Welby  Pugin. 


Jan. ,  176. 


ft g, 

January  u.]  S.     Aelred.  I  J  J 

the  first  abbot,  William,  a  disciple  ol  S.  Bernard.  In  spite 
of  the  delicacy  of  his  body  he  set  himself  cheerfully  to 
practise  the  greatest  austerities,  and  employed  much  of  his 
time  in  prayer  and  reading.  His  heart  turned  with 
great  ardour  to  the  love  of  God,  and  this  made  him  feel  all 
his  mortifications  sweet  and  light.  "Thy  yoke  doth  not 
oppress,  but  raiseth  the  soul;  thy  burden  hath  wings,  not 
weight,"  said  he.  He  speaks  of  divine  charity  with  love, 
and  by  his  frequent  ejaculations  on  the  subject,  it  seems  to 
have  been  the  sweet  consolation  of  his  soul.  "  May  thy 
voice  (says  he)  sound  in  my  ears,  O  Good  Jesus,  that  my 
heart  may  learn  how  to  love  thee,  that  my  mind  may  love 
thee,  that  the  interior  powers,  the  bowels  of  my  soul,  and 
very  marrow  of  my  heart  may  love  thee,  and  that  my  affec- 
tions may  embrace  thee,  my  only  true  good,  my  sweet  and 
delightful  joy !  O  my  God  !  He  who  loves  thee  possesses 
thee ;  and  he  possesses  thee  in  proportion  as  he  loves, 
because  thou  art  love  itself.  This  is  that  abundance  with 
which  thy  beloved  are  inebriated,  dissolved  to  themselves, 
that  they  may  live  into  thee,  by  loving  thee."  He  had  been 
much  delighted  in  his  youth  with  reading  Cicero ;  but  after 
his  conversion  found  that  author,  and  all  other  reading,  tedi- 
ous and  bitter,  which  was  not  sweetened  with  the  honey  of 
the  holy  name  of  Jesus,  and  seasoned  with  the  word  of  God, 
as  he  says  in  the  preface  to  his  book  On  Spiritual  Friendship. 
He  was  much  edified  with  the  very  looks  of  a  holy  monk, 
called  Simon,  who  had  despised  high  birth,  an  ample 
fortune,  and  all  the  advantages  of  mind  and  body,  to  serve 
God  in  that  penitential  state.  This  monk  went  and  came  as 
one  deaf  and  dumb,  always  recollected  in  God ;  and  was 
such  a  lover  of  silence,  that  he  would  scarce  speak  a  few 
words  to  the  prior  on  necessary  occasions.  His  silence 
however  was  sweet,  agreeable,  and  full  of  edification.  Our 
Saint  says  of  him,  "  The  very  sight  of  his  humility  stifled  my 

vol.  I.                                                                           12 
* ft 


*- 


1 78 


Lives  of  the  Saints. 


[January  i». 


* 


pride,  and  made  me  blush  at  the  want  of  mortification  in  my 
looks."  This  holy  monk,  having  served  God  eight  years  in 
perfect  fidelity,  died  in  1142,  in  wonderful  peace,  repeating 
with  his  last  breath,  "  I  will  sing  eternally,  O  Lord,  thy 
mercy,  thy  mercy,  thy  mercy  I" 

S.  Aelred,  much  against  his  inclination,  was  made  abbot 
of  a  new  monastery  of  his  order,  founded  by  William,  Earl 
of  Lincoln,  at  Revesby,  in  Lincolnshire,  in  1142,  and  after, 
in  1 143,  of  Rievaulx,  where  he  governed  three  hundred 
monks.  Describing  their  life,  he  says  that  they  drank 
nothing  but  water,  ate  little,  laboured  hard,  slept  little,  and 
on  hard  boards ;  never  spoke,  except  to  their  superiors  on 
necessary  occasions  j  and  loved  prayer. 


udilo,  Jan.   1 


* 


* 


%,- — >£ 

January^.]     SS.  Hermylus  and  Stralonicus.         179 


January  13. 

CTfjE  ©ctafce  at  the  ©ptpfjang 

S.  PflTirus,  M.,  a.d.  166. 

SS.  Hermylus  and  Stratonicus,  MM.,  at  Belgrade,  a.d.  315. 

S.  Glaphyra,  V.,  at  Amasia,  circ.  a.d.  324. 

S.  Agricius,  B.  (if  Treves,  circ.  a.d.  335. 

S.  Hilary,  B.  of  Poictiers,  a.d.  368. 

S.  Virentius,  P.,  in  Burgundy,  a.d.  400. 

S.  Kentigern,  B.  of  Glasgow,  a.d.  601. 

B.  Berno,  Ab.  of  Cluny,  a.d.  920. 

S.  Heldemar,  H.,  in  Artois,  a.d.  1097. 

B.  Gotfried,  of  Kappenberg,  a.d.  1127. 

B.  Jutta,  W.  and  Recluse,  at  Huy,  in  Belgium,  a.d.  1228. 

B.  Veronica,  V.  at  Milan,  a.d.  1497. 

3S.    HERMYLUS    AND    STRATONICUS,    MM.,    AT 
BELGRADE. 

(A.D.  315.) 

[Greek  Menoea  and  Menologium.     The  Acts  in  Metaphrastes  are  com- 
piled from  the  original  genuine  Acts,  and  may  be  trusted.] 


[HEN  Licinius  was  in  Mysia  he   sought  out  the 
Christians,    to   punish   them   with  death,  being 
moved   thereto    by    his    great    hatred    to    the 
religion  of  Christ,  which  Constantine  protected. 
Socrates  says,  in  his  "  Ecclesiastical  History,"  that  Licinius 
hated  the  Christians ;  and  that,  although  for  a  while,  from 
dread  of  Constantine,  he  avoided  open  persecution,  yet  he 
managed  to  plot  against  them  covertly,  and  at  length  pro- 
ceeded to  acts  of  undisguised  malevolence.    The  persecution, 
however,  was  local,  not  extending  beyond  those  districts 
where  Licinius  himself  was,  but  these  and  other  public  out- 
rages could  not  long  remain  concealed  from  Constantine.    By 
this  perfidy  he  drew  upon  himself  the  Emperor  Constan- 

* * 


£, — * 

1 80  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  13. 

tine's  heaviest  displeasure ;  and  the  pretended  treaty  of 
friendship  having  been  so  flagrantly  violated,  it  was  not  long 
before  they  took  up  anns  against  each  other.1 

When  Licinius  was  at  Sigidunum  (Belgrade),  on  the 
Danube,  a  deacon,  named  Hermylus,  was  denounced  to 
him  as  a  despiser  of  the  gods  of  Rome.  The  Emperor 
ordered  him  to  be  brought  before  him.  The  order  was 
obeyed. 

Then  the  Emperor  said,  "  Answer  me,  and  tell  me  openly, 
dost  thou  confess  thyself  to  be  a  Christian  ?" 

"  Not  only  do  I  acknowledge  myself  to  be  a  Christian, 
but  to  be  consecrated  a  deacon  to  the  service  of  God." 

"  Well  then,  be  deacon  in  the  service  of  the  gods,"  said 
Licinius. 

"  Thou  must  be  deaf,  Emperor  !  I  said  that  I  served  God 
the  all-seeing,  not  these  blind  stocks." 

Licinius  ordered  the  deacon  to  be  smitten  on  the  cheeks, 
and  said,  "  Not  so  glib  with  thy  tongue,  Hermylus.  Hon- 
our the  Emperor,  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  and  save  thy  life." 

Then  Hermylus  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Thou  shalt 
endure  torments  without  end,  from  the  hand  of  God, 
because  thou  dost  adore  vain  idols,  and  seekest  to  destroy 
those  who  serve  the  living  God,  as  though  envious  of  their 
superiority." 

Then  the  martyr  was  taken  back  to  prison.  And  after 
three  days  he  was  again  brought  forth,  and  when  Licinius 
had  mounted  the  tribunal,  he  said,  "  Well  now,  Hermylus, 
art  thou  prepared  to  abandon  this  folly  and  escape  what 
is  in  store  for  thee  ?" 

But  the  deacon  answered,  "  I  am  ready  to  endure. 
There  is  one  God  in  heaven  to  whom  I  live,  and  to  whom 
I  am  ready  to  die.     He  will  succour  me." 

"  We  shall  soon  see  what  His  succour  is  worth,"  said  the 

»  Lib.  I.,  c.  3,  4. 

« — * 


#__ * 

January  i).]    SS.  Hermylus  and  Stratonicus.        1 8 1 

Emperor ;  and  ordered  him  to  be  beaten.  Then  six  men 
cast  him  on  the  ground  and  stripped  him,  and  scourged  him. 
But  Hermylus  cried,  "  O  Lord  my  God,  who  before  Pilate 
enduredst  the  scourge,  strengthen  me  suffering  for  Thee,  that 
I  may  finish  my  course,  and  that,  being  made  partaker  in 
Thy  sufferings,  I  may  be  made  also  to  partake  in  Thy  glory." 

Then  there  was  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying, 
"  Verily,  verily,  Hermylus,  in  three  days  shalt  thou  receive  a 
glorious  reward  !"  Hearing  this,  the  martyr  was  filled  with 
boldness,  and  a  great  fear  fell  on  all  around.  Then  Licinius 
hastily  remitted  the  deacon  to  prison.  Now  the  jailor's 
name  was  Stratonicus,  and  he  was  a  disciple,  but  secretly, 
like  Nicodemus,  not  having  great  boldness,  and  he  com- 
forted Hermylus  in  the  dungeon  as  well  as  he  could,  for  he 
was  also  his  personal  friend. 

On  the  morrow,  the  Emperor  ordered  the  brave  soldier 
of  Christ  to  be  led  forth  again,  and  beaten  on  the 
stomach,  as  his  back  was  one  great  wound,  and  the  instru- 
ment wherewith  he  was  to  be  beaten  was  a  willow  rod, 
twisted  and  knotted  into  a  triangle,  and  this,  say  the  Acts, 
was  a  most  excruciating  torture,  for  the  angles  and  knots  cut 
like  knives  into  the  flesh.  But  as  he  bore  this  with  unflinch- 
ing constancy,  the  tyrant  commanded  that  his  belly  should 
be  torn  with  little  iron  hooks.  Then  Stratonicus,  the  jailor, 
unable  to  bear  the  sight  of  his  friend's  sufferings,  covered 
his  face  with  his  hands  and  burst  into  tears.  Seeing  this, 
the  soldiers  who  stood  by  jeered  him,  and  called  the 
attention  of  the  Emperor  to  the  agitation  of  the  jailor. 
Then  Stratonicus,  mustering  up  all  his  courage,  cast  himself 
before  Licinius,  and  cried,  "  Sire !  I  am  a  Christian,  I 
believe  in  God,  the  maker  of  heaven  and  earth."  Then 
Licinius  ordered  him  to  be  scourged.  And  Stratonicus, 
looking  piteously  at  his  friend,  said,  "  Hermylus,  pray  for 
me  to  Christ,  that  I  may  be  able  to  endure  !" 

i — -* 


1 82  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  13. 

And  when  Licinius  saw  that  Stratonicus  was  covered  with 
wounds,  he  bade  the  executioners  desist,  and  he  remitted 
the  jailor  and  the  prisoner  to  the  same  dungeon.  But  on 
the  morrow,  finding  Stratonicus  resolute,  he  ordered  him 
and  Hermylus  to  be  drowned  in  the  Danube.  Then  they 
were  tied  up  in  nets  and  cast  into  the  river.  Three  days 
after  their  bodies  were  washed  up,  and  were  buried  by  the 
Christians. 


S.  HILARY,  B.  D.  OF  POICTIERS. 
(a.d.  368.) 

[In  the  Roman  Missal,  before  1435,  there  was  no  mention  of  S.  Hilar}';  in 
the  reformed  Breviary  of  Cardinal  Quignon,  published  by  authority  of  Pope 
Paul  III.,  S.  Hilary  was  commemorated  on  Jan.  31st,  the  same  day  as  that 
on  which  he  was  noted  in  the  York  Calendar,  becausejan.  13th  is  the  Octave 
of  the  Epiphany.  Afterwards,  however,  the  commemoration  of  S.  Hilary 
was  fixed  for  Jan.  14th,  his  name  being  inserted  in  the  Martyrology  on  the 
13th  ;  but  with  this  clause,  "His  festival  is,  however,  to  be  celebrated  on  the 
morrow,"  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  Octave  of  the  Epiphany.  The 
Sarum,  Dominican,  Belgian,  and  some  of  the  German  Calendars  mark 
the  13th  as  the  feast  of  S.  Hilary.  The  Anglican  Calendar  also  notes  his 
name  on  this  day.  The  Bollandists  give  his  life  on  this  day,  though  in  the 
Roman  offices  the  commemoration  is  on  the  morrow.  His  own  writings, 
and  the  histories  of  his  age,  contain  all  the  materials  for  his  life.] 

S.  Hilary  was  born  at  Poictiers  in  Gaul.  There  is  some 
reason  to  believe  that  his  family  was  illustrious  in  that 
country.  His  parents  were  pagans,  and  he  was  brought  up  in 
idolatry.  He  gives  an  account  of  his  conversion  to  the  faith 
of  Christ  in  his  book  "  On  the  Trinity."  He  was  married 
before  his  conversion ;  and  his  wife,  by  whom  he  had  a 
daughter,  named  Apra,  was  yet  living  when  he  was  chosen 
Bishop  of  Poictiers,  about  the  year  353  ;  but  from  the  time 
of  his  ordination  he  lived  in  perpetual  continence.  It  is 
probable  that  S.  Hilary  was  elected  Bishop  from  the  rank  of 


1 

-'if 


a  layman,  as  was  often  the  case  in  the  early  ages,  and 
received  all  orders  by  accumulation.  He  soon  became 
renowned  in  Gaul  as  a  preacher;  and  S.  Martin,  then  a 
young  man,  was  attracted  by  his  name,  and  lived  for  a  time 
at  Poictiers  as  his  disciple. 

Immediately  after  the  Arian  Council  at  Milan,  in  a.d. 
355,  which  had  condemned  S.  Athanasius,  and  had  pre- 
vailed on  the  Emperor  Constantius  to  banish  all  the  Bishops 
who  adhered  to  him,  S.  Hilary  wrote  to  the  Emperor, 
entreating  him  to  stop  the  persecution,  to  recall  the  Catholic 
Bishops,  and  forbid  secular  judges  to  interfere  in  the  affairs 
of  the  Church.  This  remonstrance  had  no  effect;  but  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  Gallican  Bishops  remain 
firm  during  those  days  of  trial.  Saturninus,  Bishop  of  Aries, 
alone  united  with  Ursacius  and  Valens,  two  Illyrian  Bishops, 
to  vex  the  Catholics.  They  held  an  Arian  synod  at  Beziers 
in  Languedoc,  at  which  Saturninus  himself  presided.  S. 
Hilary  there  made  a  noble  confession  of  the  Nicene  Faith, 
and  refuted  the  heresy  of  Arius ;  but  the  party  of  Saturninus, 
reinforced  by  Bishops  from  the  neighbouring  countries,  was 
too  strong  for  him,  and  he  was  condemned  and  deposed ; 
and  immediately  afterwards  the  Emperor  Constantius 
banished  him  into  Phrygia.  He  left  Gaul  early  in  a.d.  356, 
in  company  with  Rhodanus,  Bishop  of  Toulouse,  whom 
God  called  from  those  evils  to  His  kingdom,  soon  after 
their  arrival  in  Phrygia. 

His  departure  was  followed  by  a  cruel  persecution  of  the 
Gallican  clergy ;  but  nothing  could  daunt  their  constancy,  or 
prevail  on  them  to  communicate  with  the  enemies  of  S. 
Hilary  and  the  Nicene  Faith,  or  to  fill  up  his  see,  which  in 
the  eye  of  the  Church  was  not  vacant.  The  priests  and 
deacons  of  Toulouse  were  severely  beaten,  and  their 
church  profaned.  In  a.d.  357  the  Bishops  wrote  a  letter 
to  S.   Hilary  assuring  him  of  their   fidelity  and  firmness. 

* ■ * 


* . : * 

184  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  13. 

About  the  same  time  S.  Hilary  received  a  letter  from  Apra, 
his  only  daughter,  informing  him  that  she  had  been  asked 
in  marriage  by  a  young  man.  She  was  then  about  thirteen 
or  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  immediately  wrote  to  her, 
entreating  her  to  set  her  thoughts  on  the  more  precious 
rewards  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  promised  to  those  virgins 
who  devote  themselves  wholly  to  their  Heavenly  Spouse, 
and  are  not  entangled  in  the  snares  of  earthly  love.  He  re- 
minded her  of  that  blissful  company  whom  the  Church 
commemorates  on  the  feast  of  the  Holy  Innocents  (Dec.  28), 
who  sing  a  new  song  which  no  man  can  learn  but  they  who 
are  virgins  and  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  He  goeth. 
She  yielded  to  his  pious  counsel ;  and  on  his  return  home 
God  took  her  to  Himself  at  his  request,  without  pain  or 
any  visible  sickness.  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor  relates  this  little 
story  in  his  own  beautiful  language  in  the  "  Holy  Dying." 

In  return  for  the  comforting  letter  which  the  Gallican 
Bishops  had  sent  him,  and  at  their  request  to  be  informed 
regarding  the  faith  of  the  Eastern  Churches,  S.  Hilary  wrote 
his  "  History  of  Synods  "  in  the  end  of  a.d.  358.  It  contains 
an  account  of  the  various  councils  that  had  been  assembled 
in  the  East  on  the  subject  of  the  Arian  heresy,  together 
with  a  defence  of  the  Nicene  Faith.  It  is  addressed  to  the 
British  Bishops  among  others,  whom  he  congratulates  on 
their  stedfastness.  The  Saint  also  wrote  his  book  "  On  the 
Trinity"  during  his  exile,  and  a  smaller  treatise  "  Against  the 
Arians."  He  was  also  the  undoubted  author  of  several 
hymns,  and  others  have  been  attributed  to  him. 

In  a.d.  359  the  Western  Bishops  held  a  synod  at  Rimini, 
at  which  nearly  four  hundred  were  present.  The  Arian 
party  among  them  beguiled  the  rest  by  its  address,  to 
sanction  its  errors  by  their  signatures.  The  Bishops  of  Agen 
and  Tongres  took  a  prominent  lead  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  synod.   In  September  of  the  same  year  S.  Hilary  was  in- 

* ■ 


S.    HILARY   BAPTIZING   S.    MARTIN    OF   TOURS. 
From  a  Window,  dated  1528,  in  the  Church  of  S.  Florentin,  Yonne. 


THE    THREE    CHILDREN    IN    THE    FIERY    FURNACE, 
From  the  Catacombs. 


Jan.,  p.  184.] 


[Jan.  13. 


* * 

January  i3.]  S.     Hilary,  1 85 

vited  with  other  Catholic  Bishops  by  the  semi-Arians  to  their 
council  at  Seleucia,  in  Isauria.  Their  object  was  to  defeat 
the  Arians,  and  they  hoped  that  the  Catholics  would  assist 
them.  In  this  council  S.  Hilary  bore  witness  to  the  faith  of 
the  Western  Church  being  the  same  as  that  declared  to  be 
the  Catholic  Faith  at  the  Council  of  Nice  in  a.d.  325,  and 
he  protested  against  both  the  Arian  and  semi-Arian  opinions 
as  novelties.  He  accompanied  the  deputies  of  the  council 
to  Constantinople,  in  hopes  of  obtaining  from  the  Emperor 
Constantius  the  recall  of  his  sentence  of  banishment. 

While  the  Arian  synod  was  sitting  at  Constantinople,  in 
January,  a.d.  360,  he  entreated  the  Emperor  to  grant  him  a 
conference  with  Saturninus,  Bishop  of  Aries,  the  author  of 
his  exile,  and  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  appear  in  the 
synod,  and  bear  witness  to  the  Catholic  Faith.  He  also 
complained  of  the  perplexity  which  the  multiplication  of 
creeds  and  confessions  of  faith  had  occasioned ;  for  in  the 
preceding  year  alone  four  had  been  published  to  the  Church. 
The  Emperor  refused  to  grant  S.  Hilary  what  he  asked; 
but  the  Arians  so  much  dreaded  his  presence  in  the  East, 
that  they  persuaded  Constantius  to  send  him  back  to  Gaul, 
yet  without  formally  recalling  the  sentence  of  exile. 

The  joy  of  his  return  to  his  Church  and  his  native  land 
was  much  lessened  by  the  miserable  confusion  which  he  left 
behind  him  in  the  East.  Still  it  must  have  been  very  great; 
and  his  approach  was  hailed  with  delight  by  the  Church  in 
Gaul.  S.  Martin,  who  had  been  living  in  retirement  in  the 
island  of  Gallenari,  off  the  city  of  Genoa,  went  to  Rome 
to  meet  him;  but  finding  that  he  had  already  left  it,  he 
followed  him  to  Poictiers,  and  soon  after  built  a  monastery 
near  the  town  (see  November  11.)  S.  Hilary  immediately 
applied  himself  to  repair  the  mischief  which  the  Council  of 
Rimini  had  done  :  and  a  synod  was  assembled  at  Paris, 
which  condemned  its  proceedings,  and  declared    the  true 

* * 


Ijl __ % 

1 86  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

Faith  of  the  consubstantiality  of  the  Son  of  God.  The 
Bishops  also  corresponded  with  their  banished  brethren  in 
the  East 

In  a.d.  363  S.  Hilary  made  a  journey  into  Italy  in  com- 
pany with  Eusebius  of  Vercelli.  They  were  at  Milan  in  the 
autumn  of  the  following  year,  at  the  time  when  the  Emperor 
Valentinian  arrived  there.  The  people  were  Catholic,  and 
even  abstained  from  entering  the  churches,  to  avoid  com- 
municating with  Auxentius  their  Arian  Bishop.  In  a  public 
disputation  which  the  Emperor  invited  him  to  hold,  S. 
Hilary  extorted  from  the  Arian  a  confession  of  the  Nicene 
Faith,  which  was  taken  down  in  writing  and  preserved. 
Auxentius  was  enraged  at  being  thus  vanquished,  and  pre- 
vailed on  the  Emperor  to  send  S.  Hilary  away  from  Milan. 
Before  his  departure  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Catholic 
Bishops  and  laity  in  the  neighbourhood,  exhorting  them  to 
remain  firm.  This  was  the  last  public  act  of  his  life  which 
is  recorded.  He  returned  home  to  Poictiers,  and  finished 
his  labours  by  a  blessed  death  in  January,  a.d.  368,  accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  the  greater  number  of  historians.  A 
brilliant  light  is  said  to  have  filled  the  chamber  where  the 
body  of  the  holy  man  was  lying.  S.  Gregory  of  Tours 
attests  the  truth  of  a  miracle  performed  at  his  tomb; 
and  others  also  are  authenticated  by  various  writers.  But 
neither  the  fame  of  these,  nor  respect  for  the  memory 
of  the  saintly  Confessor,  prevented  his  tomb  from  being 
violated  by  the  Calvinists  in  1567. 


* —  * 


£, _ * 

I 

January  13.]  S.  Kentigem.  187 

S.  KENTIGERN,  OR  MUNGO,  B.  OF  GLASGOW. 

(a.d  601.) 

[His  life  was  written  by  S.  Asaph,  his  disciple  in  the  monastery  of  Llan- 
Elwyn,  in  Wales,  founded  by  Kentigem  when  exiled.  This  life  has  not 
come  down  to  us  in  its  original  form.  We  have,  however,  his  life  compiled 
in  1 125  by  Jocelyn,  monk  of  Furness,  from  ancient  authorities,  by  order  of 
Bishop  Jocelyn  of  Glasgow.  Undoubtedly  the  life  of  S.  Asaph  formed 
the  basis  of  this  compilation.  S.  Kentigem  is  also  spoken  of  by  many 
ancient  Scottish  historians,  John  Major  de  Gest.  Scotorum,  lib.  ii.  c.  7  ; 
Hector  Boece,  lib.  ix ;  Leslie,  lib.  iv.,  &c] 

S.  Kentigern  is  said1  to  have  been  the  illegitimate  son 
of  Themin,  daughter  of  Loth,  King  of  the  Picts,  by  Eugenius 
III.,  King  of  the  Scots  ;  but  there  is  great  uncertainty  about 
his  origin.  When  the  Pictish  King  found  that  his  daughter 
was  likely  to  become  a  mother,  he  was  filled  with  grief  and 
anger,  and  ordered  her  to  be  thrown  down  a  rock,  on  Mount 
Dunpeld.  By  God's  mercy  she  was  not  injured,  and  was 
then,  by  her  father's  orders,  sent  to  Culross,  where  she 
brought  forth  a  son.  At  the  same  time  S.  Servan,  being 
engaged  in  saying  matins,  heard  angels  singing.  When  he 
had  finished  his  office  he  left  his  cell,  and  descending  to 
the  sea  shore  in  the  grey  dusk,  found  there  a  mother  rocking 
her  new-born  babe,  wherefore  the  old  hermit  exclaimed, 
being  moved  with  compassion,  "  Mochoche,  mochoche !" 
which  being  interpreted  is,  My  dear,  my  dear !  Then  he 
took  the  unfortunate  girl  and  her  babe  to  his  cell,  instructed 
her  in  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  baptized  her  and  her  little 
one,  and  he  called  her  Tanca,  and  him  he  named  Kentiern.3 
So  the  child  grew  up  in  the  old  man's  cell,  and  became  so 
dear  to  him,  that  he  called  him  familiarly  Mungho,  or 
Dearest,  and  by  this  name  he  is  generally  known  in  Scot- 
land. His  mother  learned  to  love  God,  and  to  serve  him 
with  all  her  heart,  and  bitterly  to  bewail  her  fault 

1  By  David  Camerarius,  Hector  Boece,  and  Condeus. 
1  From  Ken-tiern,  chief  lord. 

jfr ->j< 


« _ q, 

1 88  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  J3. 

Many  pretty  legends  of  the  childhood  of  Kentigern  have 
been  wafted  down  to  us.  S.  Servan  had  a  pet  redbreast 
which  was  wont  to  eat  out  of  his  hand,  and  to  perch  on  his 
shoulder,  and  when  he  chanted  the  psalms  of  David,  the 
little  bird  napped  its  wings  and  twittered  shrilly. 

Now  Servan  had  several  lads  whom  he  educated  at  Culross, 
and  these  envied  Kentigern,  because  he  was  the  favourite 
of  the  old  master,  so  in  spite  they  wrung  the  neck  of  the 
redbreast,  and  charged  the  favourite  boy  with  having  done 
the  deed.  But  Kentigern  took  the  little  dead  bird,  and 
crying  bitterly,  and  praying  to  God,  signed  the  cross  over 
it.  Then  when  the  old  man  returned  from  church,  the 
bird  hopped  to  meet  him  as  usual,  chirping  joyously.  In 
those  days  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  kindle  a  fire,  indeed, 
without  a  flame  from  which  to  light  one,  it  was  impossible, 
for  in  the  north,  sticks  are  not  dry  enough  to  be  rubbed 
into  a  blaze  as  they  can  be  in  hot  climates.  Therefore  it 
was  necessary  that  fires  should  never  be  allowed  to  become 
extinct  It  was  the  duty  of  the  boys  of  S.  Servan,  in  turn  by 
weeks,  to  rise  during  the  night  and  mend  the  fire,  so  that 
there  should  not  be  a  deficiency  of  light  for  illumining 
the  Church  at  the  matin  offices.  When  it  was  Kentigern's 
week,  the  boys,  to  bring  him  into  trouble,  extinguished  the 
fire.  Mungo,  rising  as  usual,  went  to  the  hearth  but  found 
the  fire  out.  Then  he  took  a  stick  and  placed  it  over  the 
cold  ashes,  and  invoking  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  he 
blew  upon  the  dead  cinders,  and  a  flame  leaped  up  which 
kindled  the  branch ;  and  thereat  he  lighted  the  Church 
candles. 

At  last,  unable  to  endure  longer  the  envy  of  his  fellow 
pupils,  Kentigern  ran  away.  And  when  S.  Servan  discovered 
it,  he  pursued  him,  and  reached  the  bank  of  a  river,  but 
Kentigern  had  escaped  to  the  other  side.  Then  the  old 
man  cried  to  him,   "  Alas  !  my  dearest  son,  the  light  of  my 

•£ — g, 


*- 


-* 


January^.]  S.  Kentigern.  189 

eyes,  and  the  staff  of  my  age,  wherefore  hast  thou  deserted 
me  ?  Remember  that  I  took  thee  from  thy  mother's  womb, 
nursed  thee,  and  taught  thee  to  this  day.  Do  not  desert 
my  white  hairs." 

Then  Kentigern,  bursting  into  tears,  answered,  "  My 
father,  it  is  the  will  of  the  Most  High  that  I  should  go." 

Servan  cried  out,  "  Return,  return,  dear  son,  and  I,  from 
being  a  father,  will  be  to  thee  as  a  son,  from  being  a  master 
I  will  become  a  disciple." 

But  Kentigern,  suffused  with  tears,  replied,  "It  cannot 
be,  my  father ;  return  and  admonish  thy  disciples,  and  in- 
struct them  by  thine  example.  I  must  go  where  the  Lord 
God  calls  me." 

Then  Servan  blessed  him  across  the  river,  lifting  up  his 
holy  hands,  and  sorrowfully  they  parted  the  one  from  the 
other,  to  see  each  other's  face  no  more  in  this  life. 

Kentigern  settled  near  Glasgow,  where  he  inhabited  a  cave 
in  the  face  of  a  rock,  where  the  people  looked  at  him 
with  respectful  curiosity,  while  he  studied  the  direction  of 
the  storms  at  sea,  and  drank  in  with  pleasure  the  first 
breezes  of  the  spring.  Having  converted  many  of  the 
people,  together  with  the  King  of  Strathclyde,  he  was  con- 
secrated Bishop  by  an  Irish  prelate,  the  Keltic  Church  being 
ignorant  of  the  Nicene  canon  requiring  three  to  consecrate, 
"with  unction  of  holy  oil,  invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  imposition  of  hands." 

The  district  of  Strathclyde,  or  Cumbria,  on  the  west  coast 
of  Britain,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Clyde  to  that  of  the 
Mersey,  that  is  to  say,  from  Glasgow  to  Liverpool,  was 
occupied  by  a  mingled  race  of  Britons  and  Scots,  whose 
capital  was  Al-Cluid,  now  Dumbarton.  It  was  in  this 
region  that  S.  Kentigern  was  called  to  labour. 

As  bishop,  he  still  dwelt  in  his  rocky  cell,  where  he  used 
a  stone  for  a  pillow,  and  to  inure  his  body  to  hardships,  he 


*- 


-* 


* — — * 

190  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

stood  in  the  Clyde  to  recite  his  psalter.  He  wore  a  dress  of 
goat-skin  bound  about  his  loins,  and  a  hood,  and  over  all,  his 
white  linen  alb,  which  he  never  left  off;  and  carried  in  his 
hand  his  pastoral  staff  of  wood  without  ornament,  and  in 
his  other  hand  his  office  book.  Thus  he  was  ever  prepared 
to  execute  his  ministry ;  and  thus  attired,  he  went  through 
the  kingdom  from  the  Clyde  to  the  Frith  of  Forth.  In  his 
cell  he  lived  on  bread  and  cheese  and  milk,  but  when  he 
was  with  the  King,  he  relaxed  the  severity  of  his  fasting,  so 
as  not  to  appear  ungracious  when  offered  more  abundant 
and  better  food ;  however,  on  his  return  to  his  cell,  he 
curtailed  his  allowance,  so  as  to  make  up  for  his  relaxation 
of  rule  at  court. 

When  S.  Kentigern  was  made  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  Gurth- 
mel  Wledio  was  King  of  the  North  Britons.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Roderick  the  Liberal  (Rydderach  Hael),  a 
religious  and  deserving  prince,  who  was  driven  by  his 
rebellious  subjects  under  Morken  Mawr  to  Ireland.  Mor- 
ken  having  usurped  the  throne  of  Strathclyde,  drove  S. 
Kentigern  out  of  the  country,  and  the  Saint  took  refuge 
in  Wales  with  S.  David,  Bishop  of  Menevia,  and  remained 
with  him  till  the  Prince  of  Denbigh  bestowed  on  him  lands, 
where  he  built  the  famous  monastery  of  Llan-Elwyn,  after- 
wards called  S.  Asaph.  Here  he  gathered  about  him  a  great 
number  of  disciples  and  scholars,  and  he  was  there  at  the 
date  of  the  death  of  S.  David,  in  544. 

On  the  death  of  Morken,  Roderick  returned  to  Scotland, 
and  recovered  his  crown.  He  immediately  recalled  Kenti- 
gern to  his  see,  and  he,  leaving  his  monastery  to  the  care  of 
S.  Asaph,  went  back  to  Glasgow  in  560. 

Roderick's  mother  was  Irish,  and  he  had  been  baptized 
by  an  Irish  monk,  and  greatly  respected  Kentigern. 
The  Saint  returned  bringing  with  him  a  hive  of  Welsh 
monks,  and  established   the  seat   of  his  renewed  apostle- 

* 


January  i3.]  S.  Ketitigem.  191 

ship  once  more  at  Glasgow,  where  Ninian  had  preceded 
him  nearly  a  century  before,  without  leaving  any  lasting 
traces  of  his  passage.  Kentigern,  more  fortunate,  estab- 
lished upon  the  site  of  a  burying-ground,  consecrated  by 
Ninian,  the  first  foundation  of  that  magnificent  cathedral 
which  still  bears  his  name,  though  diverted  to  a  religion 
different  from  that  he  professed. 

Kentigern  collected  round  him  numerous  disciples,  all 
learned  in  holy  literature,  all  working  with  their  hands,  and 
possessing  nothing  as  individuals.  "  They  dwelt,"  says 
Jocelyn,  "  in  separate  cells,  as  did  Kentigern,  thence  were 
they  called  Calledei."  He  distinguished  himself  during  his 
episcopate  by  his  efforts  to  bring  back  to  the  faith  the  Picts 
of  Galloway,  which  formed  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Strath- 
clyde ;  and  afterwards,  by  numerous  mission  and  monastic 
foundations  throughout  all  Albyn — a  name  which  was  then 
given  to  midland  Scotland.  His  disciples  penetrated  even 
to  the  Orkney  Isles,  where  they  probably  met  with  the 
missionaries  of  S.  Columba,  despatched  from  Iona. 

The  salutary  and  laborious  activity  of  Kentigern  must 
often  have  encroached  upon  the  regions  which  were  spe- 
cially within  the  sphere  of  Columba.  But  the  generous 
heart  of  Columba  was  inaccessible  to  jealousy.  He  was, 
besides,  the  personal  friend  of  Kentigern  and  of  King 
Roderick.1  The  fame  of  the  Bishop  of  Strathclyde's 
apostolic  labours  drew  him  from  his  isle  to  do  homage  to 
his  rival  in  love  and  good  works.  He  arrived  from  Iona 
with  a  great  train  of  monks,  whom  he  arrayed  in  three 
companies  at  the  moment  of  their  entrance  into  Glasgow. 
Kentigern  distributed  in  the  same  way  the  numerous  monks 
who  surrounded  him  in  his  episcopal  monastery,  and  whom 
he  led  out  to  meet  the  abbot  of  Iona.  He  divided  them, 
according  to  their  age,  into  three  bands,  the  youngest   of 

1  Adamaan  i.  ij. 
* * 


* _ — % 

192  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  13. 

whom  walked  first ;  then  those  who  had  reached  the  age  of 
manhood ;  and  last  of  all,  the  old  and  grey-haired,  among 
whom  he  himself  took  his  place.  They  all  chanted  the 
anthem,  "  They  shall  sing  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord :  that 
great  is  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  The  path  of  the  just  is 
made  :  and  the  way  of  the  saints  is  prepared."  The  monks 
of  Iona,  on  their  side,  chanted  the  versicle,  "  The  saints 
shall  go  from  strength  to  strength  :  and  unto  the  God  of  gods 
appeareth  every  one  of  them  in  Sion."1  From  every  side 
echoed  the  Alleluia ;  and  it  was  to  the  sound  of  these 
words  of  Holy  Scripture  that  the  Apostles  of  the  Picts  and 
Scots  met  at  what  had  been  the  extreme  boundary  of  the 
Roman  empire,  and  limit  of  the  power  of  the  Caesars,  and 
upon  a  soil  henceforth  for  ever  freed  from  paganism  and 
idolatry.  They  embraced  each  other  tenderly,  and  passed 
several  days  in  intimate  and  friendly  intercourse. 

The  historian,  who  has  preserved  for  us  the  account  of 
this  interview,  does  not  conceal  a  less  edifying  incident 
He  confesses  that  some  robbers  had  joined  themselves  to 
the  following  of  the  abbot  of  Iona,  and  that  they  took 
advantage  of  the  general  enthusiasm  to  steal  a  ram  from 
the  Bishop's  flock.  They  were  soon  taken  ;  but  Kentigern 
pardoned  them.  Columba  and  his  fellow  Apostle  exchanged 
their  pastoral  staves  before  they  parted,  in  token  of  mutual 
affection.  The  staff  of  S.  Columba,  afterwards  used  by 
S.  Kentigern,  was  in  later  times  given  to  S.  Wilfred,  who 
placed  it  in  the  monastic  church  he  founded  at  Ripon. 

I  know  not  how  far  we  may  put  faith  in  another  narrative 
of  Jocelyn,  which  has  remained  Kentigern's  most  popular 
title  to  fame.  The  wife  of  King  Roderick,  led  astray  by  a 
guilty  passion  for  a  knight  of  her  husband's  court,  had  the 

1  In  viis  Domini  rmgna  est  gloria  Domini,  et  via  justorum  facta  est:  et  iter 
■anctorum  prxparatum  est.  Ibunt  sancti  de  virtute  in  rirtutem  :  videbitur  Deus 
rorum  in  Sion. 

* £ 


^_ * 

January  13.]  S.  Ketitigern.  193 

weakness  to  bestow  on  him  a  ring  which  had  been  given  to 
her  by  the  King.  When  Roderick  was  out  hunting  with  this 
knight,  the  two  took  refuge  on  the  banks  of  the  Clyde, 
during  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  the  knight,  falling  asleep, 
unwittingly  stretched  out  his  hand,  upon  which  the  King  saw 
the  ring  which  he  had  given  to  the  Queen  as  a  token  of  his 
love.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  restrained  himself 
from  killing  the  knight  on  the  spot ;  but  he  subdued  his 
rage,  and  contented  himself  by  taking  the  ring  from  his 
finger,  and  throwing  it  into  the  river,  without  awakening  the 
guilty  sleeper.  When  he  had  returned  to  the  town,  he  de- 
manded his  ring  from  the  Queen,  and,  as  she  could  not 
produce  it,  threw  her  into  prison,  and  gave  orders  for  her 
execution.  She  obtained,  however,  a  delay  of  three  days, 
and  having  in  vain  sought  the  ring  from  the  knight  to  whom 
she  had  given  it,  she  had  recourse  to  S.  Kentigern.  He, 
moved  by  the  remembrance  of  his  mother,  through  whose 
sin  he  had  entered  the  world,  and  anxious  that  the  un» 
happy  woman  should  be  given  time  for  repentance,  prayed 
to  God,  and  the  ring  was  found  in  the  belly  of  a  salmon 
caught  in  the  Clyde,  and  sent  by  him  to  the  Queen,  who 
showed  it  to  her  husband,  and  thus  escaped  the  punishment 
which  awaited  her.  On  her  liberation  she  hastened  to 
Kentigern,  confessed  her  fault  to  him,  and  was  exhorted  by 
him  to  amend  her  life  and  do  penance  for  the  past.  It  is 
for  this  reason  that  the  ancient  effigies  of  the  Apostle  of 
Strathclyde  represent  him  holding  the  episcopal  cross  in 
one  hand,  and  in  the  other  a  salmon  with  a  ring  in  its 
mouth. 

S.  Kentigern  lived  to  a  very  advanced  age,  and  his  jaws 
being  too  weak  to  masticate  his  food,  his  lower  jaw  was 
supported  by  a  band  of  linen  tied  round  his  head.  He 
died  gently  as  he  was  being  lifted  out  of  a  warm  bath,  in 
the  year  60 1. 

vol.  1.                                                                        13 
^ * 


* ■ — * 

194  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  13. 

Patron  of  Glasgow. 

In  art,  represented  with  a  fish  and  a  ring.     (See  above.) 

B.  GOTFRIED  OF  KAPPENBERG. 

(a.d.  i  i 27.) 

[His  life  by  a  writer  of  the  same  time,  a  monk  of  Kappenberg,  who, 
though  he  did  not  know  Gotfried  himself,  derived  his  information  from 
those  who  knew  Mm  well.  He  is  also  mentioned,  and  the  principal 
incidents  of  his  life  noticed,  in  the  life  of  S.  Norbert.] 

Godfrey  or  Gotfried,  Count  of  Kappenberg,1  in  West- 
phalia, lived  at  a  period  when  the  nobles  of  Germany  were 
engaged  in  constant  feuds  with  one  another,  falling  on  each 
others  lands,  burning  the  villages,  and  carrying  off  the  cattle. 
It  was  a  period  when  the  poor  suffered  untold  woes.  "  It  is 
good  to  live  under  the  crook,"  they  said,  meaning  that  their 
only  place,  where  they  could  live  in  security,  was  on  the 
lands  of  the  abbeys.  One  little  incident  mentioned  in  the 
life  of  Count  Gotfried,  shews  the  lawlessness  of  the  times. 
The  Count  and  the  city  of  Munster  not  being  on  good  terms, 
a  party  of  the  Kappenbergers  made  a  foray,  and  swept  up 
all  the  cattle  from  the  farms  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Munster, 
and  brought  them  in  triumph  to  the  Count ;  but  he  rebuked 
them  saying,  "Take  all  these  back  again;  my  quarrel  is  with 
the  men  of  the  city ;  it  is  not  seemly  that  the  innocent  and 
helpless  farmers  should  lose  their  all  on  account  of  a  contest 
of  the  rights  of  which  they  know  nothing." 

Gotfried  happening  to  attend,  along  with  his  brother  Otto, 
the  preaching  of  S.  Norbert,  who  traversed  Westphalia 
at  this  time,  was  converted,  and  resolved  on  turning  his 
fortress  into  a  monastery.  His  wife  at  first  opposed  his 
intention,  and  his  relations  used  all  their  influence  to  dis- 

1  Near  Lunen,  on  the  river  I.ippe. 


"* 


* * 

January  i3.]  B.     Gotfried.  1 95 

suade  him.  But  his  earnestness  moved  his  wife  at  last  to 
withdraw  her  objections,  and  to  consent  to  his  entering  the 
religious  life ;  she,  at  the  same  time,  also  resolved  to  take 
the  veil.  Accordingly,  Gotfried  and  his  brother  Otto,  who 
was  his  junior,  received  the  tonsure,  and  became  canons  of 
S.  Augustine,  under  the  rule  of  S.  Norbert  of  Premontrd 
Frederick,  Count  of  Arnsberg,  the  father  of  Gotfried's  wife, 
was  furious.  He  was  a  man  of  great  cruelty,  in  whose 
dungeons  languished  many  wretches,  and  who  delighted 
in  war.  His  protests  were  in  vain,  the  Count  of  Kappenberg 
transformed  his  castle  into  a  monastery,  and  built  two  more, 
at  Varlar  and  Elstadt.  So  great  was  the  humility  of  Got- 
fried, that  finding  he  was  continually  given  his  title  of  Count, 
even  by  the  brethren,  he  took  upon  himself  the  most  dis- 
agreeable office  in  the  house,  that  of  scourer  of  the  privies. 

Frederick,  Count  of  Arnsberg,  finding  remonstrances  in 
vain,  threatened  to  fall  on  the  county  of  Kappenberg,  and 
drive  the  monks  out.  "  As  for  that  Norbert !"  he  exclaimed, 
"  who  has  come  riding  on  an  ass  through  Westphalia,  turning 
men's  heads,  let  me  catch  him,  and  I'll  hang  him  and  his  ass 
at  the  two  ends  of  one  rope  over  a  bough,  and  see  which  is 
the  heaviest  fool  of  the  twain." 

Gotfried  and  his  brethren  sent  to  Premontre,  to  tell  their 
father  in  religion,  that  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  remain 
in  Germany,  that  Count  Arnsberg  would  attack  them  shortly; 
and  they  added  the  threat  uttered  against  Norbert  himself 
and  his  ass. 

"Be  of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome  the  world,  said 
Christ,"  he  wrote  back  to  them,  "and  as  for  me  and  my 
ass,  we  are  coming  into  Westphalia  to  be  weighed  one 
against  the  other."  Nor  was  S.  Norbert  long  in  coming  ;  he 
rode  upon  his  ass  to  the  door  of  Kappenberg ;  but  there  was 
no  further  danger,  Count  Frederick  of  Arnsberg  was  dead. 

Before  he  died,  Gotfried  visited  the  cradle  of  his  order, 

* * 


196  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  13. 

Pre'montre',  the  home  of  S.  Norbert.    On  his  way  back,  next 
year,  he  sickened,  and  died  at  Elstadt 


B.  VERONICA,  V.  OF  MILAN. 

(A.D.    1497.) 

[Beatified  by  Pope  Leo  X.  Her  life  and  revelations  were  written  by 
Brother  Isidore  of  Isolani,  O.S.D.,  from  the  account  given  him  by  those 
who  had  known  her  well ;  among  others  from  the  notes  of  Benedetta,  and 
the  recital  of  Thaddaea,  two  sisters,  who  had  been  intimately  acquainted 
with  Veronica.     This  account  was  printed  in  1518,  at  Milan.] 

Veronica  was  the  daughter  of  a  pious  peasant  at  Binasco, 
a  small  village  between  Milan  and  Pavia.  Her  father  was 
noted  for  his  integrity,  and  when  he  sold  a  horse  he  always 
mentioned  its  defects  to  the  purchaser.  Veronica  was  em- 
ployed in  the  fields  weeding,  as  the  parents  were  too  poor  to 
send  her  to  the  school.  Veronica  desired  earnestly  to 
become  a  sister  in  the  convent  of  S.  Martha,  at  Milan,  but 
her  mother  assured  her  that  it  was  impossible  to  join  a 
religious  community  without  a  knowledge  of  letters. 
Accordingly,  every  night  Veronica  laboured,  by  the  light 
of  her  little  oil  lamp,  at  her  alphabet  and  spelling  book ;  but 
she  made  little  progress.  One  night,  as  she  lay  with  her 
hands  spread  out  on  the  table,  and  her  head  bowed,  dis- 
heartened at  the  difficulty  of  her  task,  the  Blessed  Virgin 
appeared  to  her  in  a  robe  of  dazzling  blue,  like  the  summer 
sky.  "  My  child,"  said  the  gentle  Mother,  "  trouble  thy- 
self not  with  this  scholarship,  the  only  learning  thou  needst 
is  comprised  in  three  letters,  white,  black,  and  red.  This 
white  letter  is  purity  of  soul  and  body ;  this  black  letter  is 
simplicity,  contentedness  with  what  God  sends  you,  and 
freedom  from  taking  offence ;  this  red  letter  is  meditation 
on  the  passion  of  my  dear  Son.     Let  these  three  branches 

* * 


January  13.]  B.      VeTOmCd.  1 97 

of  learning  be  mastered,  and  all  the  other  letters  come  of 
themselves." 

Veronica,  some  years  later,  entered  the  convent  of  S. 
Martha,  as  a  lay  sister,  and  her  duties  were  to  beg  for  the 
society,  as  her  ignorance  of  reading  and  Latin  disqualified 
her  from  chanting  the  choir  offices  with  the  full  sisters. 

She  persevered  in  the  study  of  those  three  letters  shown 
her  by  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  and  in  studying  them  she 
advanced  far  on  the  way  of  perfection.  She  was  honoured 
with  wondrous  revelations,  but  her  modesty  was  so  great 
that  she  sought  to  conceal  them.  On  the  Octave  of  Corpus 
Christi,  1487,  during  mass,  she  saw  in  the  adorable  Sacra- 
ment exposed  in  the  Tabernacle,  the  form  of  Jesus  Christ 
as  a  little  child  surrounded  by  adoring  angels.  In  her  sim- 
plicity she  asked  one  of  the  other  sisters  if  she  had  seen 
the  Holy  Child,  and  when  she  answered  in  the  negative, 
Veronica  flushed  red,  and  said  no  more. 

It  was  a  great  disappointment  to  her  that  she  was  unable 
to  sing  the  choir  offices,  and  she  made  it  a  special  object  of 
prayer  that  her  understanding  might  be  enlightened,  so  that 
she  might  join  the  others  in  their  psalmody.  Then  an 
angel  descended  to  her  cell,  and  he  held  in  his  hand  the 
psalter,  and  opening  it  before  her,  bade  her  read,  and  all  her 
difficulty  passed  away,  and  she  chanted  the  psalms  of  David, 
with  the  antiphons  and  responses,  alternately  with  the  Angel 
of  God.  One  night,  when  she  had  been  very  ill,  and 
deprived  of  the  privilege  of  communion,  she  rose  from  her 
sick  bed,  drawn  by  an  irresistible  impulse  to  the  church.  It 
was  full  of  light ;  she  cast  herself  at  the  altar  steps,  before 
the  adorable  Sacrament,  and  Jesus  in  a  cloud  of  glory  com- 
municated her  Himself. 

She  lay  three  years  in  a  lingering  illness,  all  which  time 
she  would  never  be  exempted  from  any  of  the  duty  of  the 
house,  or  make  use  of  the  least  indulgence,  though  she  was 

* * 


*■ 


198 


Lives  of  the  Saints. 


[January  13. 


-* 


given  leave ;  her  answer  always  was,  "  I  must  work  whilst 
I  can,  whilst  I  have  time." 

Sister  Thaddsea  informed  the  writer  of  her  life,  that  on  Whit- 
sun-Monday,  1496,  she  went  to  the  cell  of  Veronica,  who 
was  ill,  at  the  hour  of  nones,  and  was  astonished  to  see  a 
bright  light  streaming  from  the  chinks  in  the  door.  Looking 
in  through  a  hole,  she  saw  Veronica,  in  dazzling  light,  chant- 
ing nones.     Veronica  died  in  the  year  1497. 


Seal  of  Robert  Wishart,  Bp.  cf  GlaBgc 


1272-1316       See  Life   of  S.  Kenti£crn,  p.  103. 


*" 


-* 


ft * 

Januarys.]  6".     Felix.  1 99 


January  14. 

S.  Pontian,  M.,  at  Spoleto,  2nd  cent. 

S.  Felix,  P.  C,  at  Nola,  yd  cent. 

S.  Macrina,  at  Neocczsarca,  4th  cent. 

SS.  Theodulus,  Paul,  Proclus,  Hypatius,  Isaac,  and  Others, 

Monks ,  MM.,  at  Sinai,  $ih  cent. 
S.  Datius,  Abp.  of  Milan,  a.d.  552. 
S.  Fulgentius,  B.  of  Carthagina,  a.d.  619. 
B.  Engelmar,  H.  M.  in  Bavaria,  beginning  of 12th  cent. 
S.  Sabbas,  Abp.  ofServia,  13th  cent. 
B.  Ordorico,  Friar  at  Udine,  in  Italy,  a.d.  1331. 
For  S.  Hilary,  see  Jan.  13. 

S.  FELIX,  P.  C,  AT  NOLA. 

(3RD   CENT.) 

[On  this  day  are  commemorated  two  priests,  Confessors,  of  Nola,  of  the 
same  name,  Felix.  This  has  led  to  almost  inextricable  confusion  among 
Martyrologists.  There  is  another,  a  martyr,  of  this  name.  The  life  of 
S.  Felix  is  given  by  S.  Gregory  of  Tours,  De  Glor.  Martyr,  lib.  i.  c.  104, 
and  by  the  Venerable  Bede.  The  miracles  wrought  by  him  have  also  been 
recorded  by  S.  Paulinus  of  Nola.] 

[AINT  FELIX  was  a  native  of  Nola,  in  Cam- 
pania, vmere  his  father,  Hermias,  who  was  by 
birth  a  Syrian,  and  had  served  in  the  army,  had 
purchased  an  estate  and  settled.     He  had  two 
sons,  Felix  and  Hermias,  to  whom,  at  his  death,  he  left  his 
property.     The  younger,  loving  the  things  of  Caesar  rather 
than  the  things  of  God,  says  Bede,  served  in  the  army,  but 
Felix,  more  happy — as  his  name  implies — enrolled  himself  as 
a   soldier   of  Jesus  Christ.     Having  passed  the  grades  of 
lector  and  exorcist,  he  was  finally  ordained  priest  by  Max- 
imus,  Bishop  of  Nola. 

Persecution  having  broken  out,  the  aged  Bishop,  mindful 
of  the  injunction,   "When  they  persecute  you  in  one  city 

ft ft 


#. * 

200  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January^. 

flee  to  another  "  (Matt  x.  23),  escaped  to  the  hills,  and  left 
his  flock  to  the  charge  of  Felix,  whom  he  designated  as  his 
successor.  The  persecutors,  not  finding  the  Bishop,  seized 
on  Felix,  and  cast  him,  heavily  ironed,  into  a  dungeon 
strewn  with  broken  crockery,  into  which  no  ray  of  light 
entered.  In  the  meantime,  Maximus  was  perishing  with 
cold  and  hunger  in  the  mountains,  hardships  which  his 
great  age  made  him  unable  to  endure. 

One  night  an  angel  appeared  to  Felix,  and  bade  him  go 
forth  out  of  prison  and  succour  the  aged  Bishop.  Then  his 
chains  fell  off  his  neck,  and  hands,  and  feet,  and  the  doors 
opened  to  him  of  their  own  accord,  and  guided  by  the 
angel,  he  was  brought  to  the  hiding  place  of  Maximus, 
whom  he  found  prostrate  and  speechless,  and  apparently 
dying.  He  moistened  the  old  man's  lips  with  wine,  and 
forced  some  food  into  his  mouth,  and  chafed  his  frozen 
limbs.  By  slow  degrees  the  Bishop  was  restored,  and  then 
laying  him  upon  his  shoulders,  Felix  carried  him  home 
before  daybreak,  where  a  pious  old  woman  took  care 
of  him. 

Felix,  with  the  blessing  of  his  pastor,  repaired  secretly  to 
his  own  lodgings,  and  there  kept  himself  concealed,  praying 
for  the  Church  without  ceasing,  till  peace  was  restored  to  it 
by  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Decius  in  251.  Persecution 
breaking  forth  again,  the  sergeants  were  sent  in  quest  of 
Felix.  Meeting  him  in  the  street,  and  not  recognizing  him, 
they  stopped  him  and  asked  if  he  had  met  Felix  on  the  way. 
"  No,"  he  answered  ;  "  I  have  not  met  him."  They  went 
on,  but  something  arousing  their  suspicion,  they  had  not 
gone  far  before  they  turned  and  hastened  back.  Felix 
had,  in  the  meantime,  crept  through  a  small  hole  in 
some  old  broken  walls.  The  officers  came  to  the  place, 
but  seeing  a  spider's  web  covering  the  hole,  they  did 
not   search  the  place,  thinking  that  Felix  could  not  have 

g, _ — £1 


* * 

January  i4.]  S.     Felix.  201 

passed  that  way.  But  this  was  the  Lord's  doing.  He  had 
sent  the  little  spider  to  drop  his  lines  and  lace  them  together, 
with  the  utmost  rapidity,  over  the  place  through  which  His 
servant  had  escaped.  Felix,  finding  among  the  ruins,  be- 
tween two  houses,  an  old  well  half  dug,  hid  himself  in 
it  for  six  months  ;  and  received  during  that  time  wherewithal 
to  subsist  from  a  devout  Christian  woman. 

Peace  having  been  restored  to  the  Church,  the  Saint 
quitted  his  retreat,  and  was  received  in  the  city  as  an 
angel  from  heaven.  Soon  after,  S.  Maximus  dying,  Felix 
was  unanimously  elected  Bishop ;  but  he  persuaded  the 
people  to  make  choice  of  Quintus,  because  he  was  the 
senior  priest,  having  been  ordained  seven  days  before  him. 

His  property  having  been  confiscated  in  the  persecution, 
S.  Felix  rented  a  little  spot  of  barren  land,  not  exceeding 
three  acres,  which  he  tilled  with  his  own  hands,  and  was 
able  by  his  industry  to  support  himself,  and  give  something 
in  alms  to  the  poor.  He  died  at  a  good  old  age,  on  Jan. 
14th,  on  which  day  the  Martyrology,  under  the  name  of 
S.  Jerome,  and  all  others  of  later  date  mention  him. 

Patron  of  Nola,  in  conjunction  with  other  Saints. 

Relics,  in  the  Cathedral  at  Nola. 

In  art,  he  is  represented  (1),  with  an  angel  striking  off  his 
chains ;  (2),  with  a  bunch  of  grapes,  wherewith  he  fed 
S.  Maximus  ;  (3),  bearing  S.  Maximus  on  his  shoulders,  or 
in  his  arms  ;  (4),  with  a  spider. 


* * 


202  Lives    Of  tlie    SaintS.  [January  14. 

S.  MACRINA  THE  ELDER,  C,  AT  NEOC^ESAREA. 

(4TH   CENT.) 

[Spoken  of  by  S.  Gregory  Nyssen,  her  grandson,  in  his  life  of  his  sister 
Macrina.  S.  Gregory  Xazianzen  gives  a  fuller  account  in  his  life  of  her 
grandson,  S.  Basil  the  Great.] 

In  the  persecution  of  Galerius,  a.d.  304,  S.  Macrina  and 
her  husband  were  obliged  to  hide  till  the  tyranny  was  over- 
past, in  a  wooded  mountain  in  Pontus,  for  seven  years, 
suffering  severely  from  cold  and  from  insufficiency  of  food. 
They  were,  however,  able  to  catch  and  kill  wild  deer. 


SS.   THEODULUS,  P.  PAUL,  PROCLUS,  HYPATIUS, 
ISAAC,  AND  OTHERS,  MONKS  AND  MM.  AT  SINAI. 

(5TH    CENT.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  German  Martyrology  on  the  13th  Jan.  The 
account  of  the  martyrdom  of  these  monks  was  written  by  S.  Nilus  himself, 
an  eye-witness  of  their  passion,  and  father  of  Theodulus,  one  of  the 
sufferers,  though  not  the  martyr  cf  the  same  name.] 

"  O  my  friends,"  says  S.  Nilus,  in  his  account  of  the 
tragedy  commemorated  this  day  •}  "  I,  wretched  man  that  1 
am,  had  two  sons,  one  of  whom  I  had  to  lament,  the  other 
remained  with  his  mother.  After  I  had  become  the  father 
of  these  two,  my  wife  and  I  separated.  A  vehement  crav- 
ing after  solitude  and  rest  drew  me  into  the  desert ;  I  could 
think  and  look  to  nothing  else.  When  the  desire  of  any- 
thing has  engrossed  the  mind,  it  draws  it  violently  from 
all  things  else,  even  from  good  works,  and  strains  towards 
t'.iat  which  it  desires,  heeding  no  impediments  and  toils. 
When,  then,  I  was  thus  impelled  to  go  forth,  I  took  my  two 
sons — they  were  quite  little  fellows  then — and  I  led  them 

1  The  narrative  of  S.  Nilus  is  necessarily  much  condensed.  I  regret  having  to  do 
this,  as  it  ik  most  touching  in  its  entirety. 

* — — 


January  i4.j    S.  Theodulus  and  Companions.         203 

to  their  mother,  and  I  gave  one  to  her,  and  kept  the  other 
with  me,  and  I  told  her  my  design,  and  begged  her  not  to 
oppose  it.  She  did  not  resist  me,  seeing  my  earnestness, 
yielding  rather  to  necessity  than  consenting  spontaneously. 
But  know,  all  of  you,  that  the  separation  of  those  who  have 
been  united  in  legitimate  marriage,  and  have  become 
one  body,  by  Him  who  in  His  secret  council  has  joined 
them,  is  no  light  matter.  It  is  like  hacking  through  a 
living  body  with  a  sword." 

Nilus,  having  escaped  with  his  little  son  Theodulus  into 
the  deserts  of  Sinai,  took  up  his  abode  with  the  monks,  and 
served  God  in  the  solitude  and  rest  he  had  so  much  desired. 
"  Among  these,"  continues  Nilus,  "  Csesar's  money  does  not 
circulate,  for  they  neither  buy  nor  sell.  Each  is  ready  to 
give  freely  to  the  other  whatever  he  wants.  Olives  and 
dates,  and  rarely  bread,  is  all  they  have  to  give,  but  they 
become  tokens  of  charity,  and  sufficiently  evidence  liberality 
of  intention.  There  is  no  envy  among  them,  and  he  who 
abounds  less  in  good  works  does  not  feel  jealous  of  him 
who  abounds  more.  Their  cells  are  not  close  together,  but 
at  some  little  distance  from  one  another,  not  because  of 
want  of  love,  but  that  they  may  mould  themselves  to  the 
pattern  God  has  set  before  them  in  all  quiet  and  silence. 
On  the  Lord's  Day  they  all  assemble  in  one  church,  and 
meet  accordingly  once  a  week  ;  lest,  on  the  other  hand,  total 
isolation  should  break  the  bonds  of  concord  and  make  them 
forgetful  of  the  offices  due  to  one  another,  and  their  manners 
become  savage  and  uncouth.  After  having  all  participated 
of  the  Divine  Mysteries,  they  accordingly  meet  to  converse. 
But  why  should  I  relate  more  of  their  ways  ?  All  at  once  a 
storm  came  on,  a  cloud  of  barbarians  burst  upon  the  settle- 
ment, early  one  morning,  when  the  hymns  had  just  ceased. 
I  was  there  then  with  my  son.  I  was  descending  the  holy 
mountain  to  visit  the  Saints  who  inhabited  the  bush,  as  I 


*. * 

204  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  M. 

was  wont  to  do  often,  when  I  heard  the  noise  of  shouts  and 
cries,  and  like  yelping  of  dogs,  the  barbarians  carried  off  all 
the  Saints  had  prepared  for  their  winter  provision.  They 
dragged  them  out  of  the  church  and  stripped  them,  and 
made  a  circle  round  them  with  drawn  swords,  and  eyes  filled 
with  fury,  ready  to  kill  them.  Then,  first  they  bade  the 
priest  stretch  out  his  neck,  and  he,  without  a  cry,  though 
they  cut  him  on  the  back  with  their  blades,  signed  himself 
and  whispered,  '  Blessed  be  the  Lord  !'  One  blow  cut  him 
from  the  back-bone  to  the  jaw,  and  cut  through  his  ear;  the 
next  blow  was  from  his  shoulder  to  his  cheex.  So  the  holy 
man  sank  down  modestly.  The  previous  evening  that 
admirable  man  at  supper  had  said,  'How  do  we  know 
whether  we  shall  all  live  to  meet  again  at  table?'  After  that 
they  killed  him  who  lived  with  the  old  priest,  and  then  the 
boy  who  served  them."  Then  the  Arabs,  brandishing  their 
bloody  weapons,  rushed  after  the  monks,  who  scattered  in 
all  directions,  some  escaping  down  the  valley,  and  some, 
Nilus  included,  flying  up  the  all  but  inaccessible  rocks  of 
Sinai,  whither  the  Arabs  did  not  trouble  themselves  to  pursue 
them.  Nilus  escaped  reluctantly,  for  his  boy  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  barbarians.  "  I  stood  bewildered,"  he  says 
"  not  knowing  what  to  do,  and  bound  to  the  child  by  my 
bowels  of  love,  and  unable  to  fly  till  the  boy  made  signs 
to  me  with  his  eyes  to  escape ;  but  I  could  hardly  persuade 
myself  to  do  so.  My  feet  went  forward  and  dragged  my 
body  along,  I  hardly  knew  how,  for  my  heart  would  not 
leave  him,  and  I  turned  my  face  ever  and  anon  to  look  at 
the  boy.  Thus  I  reached  the  mountain,  following  the  others, 
and  saw  my  poor  boy  carried  away,  unable  to  look  about 
him  as  he  would,  but  furtively  casting  glances  towards  where 
I  was.  Such  is  the  tie  of  nature,  that  separation  of  bodies 
does  not  break  it,  but  it  is  cruelly  wrenched.  The  cow 
which  is  led  away  lows  piteously  and  often,  always  turning 

* * 


January  14.]  ,£   Theodulus  and  Companions.        205 

its  head  towards  the  dear  calf,  and  by  its  eyes  proving  the 
intensity  of  its  grief.  And  I,  when  I  had  reached,  I  know 
not  how,  the  mountain  top,  with  my  mind  one  way  and 
my  body  elsewhere,  I  tried  still  to  see  my  son,  but  I 
could  not,  the  distance  was  too  great.  Then  I  burst  into 
prayer  to  God,  weeping  for  my  captive  son  and  the  murdered 
saints." 

"  After  the  barbarians  had  killed  many  others,  they  went 
their  way ;  and  as  day  declined  we  were  able,  without  fear, 
to  descend  and  bury  the  bodies.  We  found  some  quite 
dead,  but  Theodulus,  the  priest,  was  still  breathing  and  able 
to  speak.  Therefore  we,  sitting  down  there,  passed  the 
night  there,  weeping,  at  the  old  man's  request."  The  dying 
priest  bade  them  be  of  good  cheer,  reminding  them  that  Job 
was  robbed  of  his  substance  and  his  children,  and  was 
grievously  plagued  in  his  body,  yet,  trusting  in  God,  he  was 
given  in  the  end  more  than  he  had  lost.  Then,  kissing  the 
survivors,  he  breathed  forth  his  holy  soul.  S.  Theodulus 
and  these  martyrs  fell  on  Jan.  14th ;  but  other  sufferers  who 
were  put  to  death  by  this  horde  of  barbarians  are  com- 
memorated with  them.  S.  Nilus  gives  an  account  of  the 
sufferings  of  several  of  these,  whom  the  Arabs  hunted  from 
the  rocks,  wherever  there  was  a  spring  of  water  and  a  patch 
of  herbage. 

Nilus,  having  obtained  money,  went  into  the  desert  in 
quest  of  the  Arabs,  in  company  with  an  armed  embassy, 
to  their  chief  or  king,  that  he  might  ransom  his  son. 
"  Having  gone  eight  days,  we  were  hard  pressed  for  want  of 
water  ;  but  those  who  knew  the  locality  said  that  there  was 
a  spring  somewhere  near.  So  the  party  ran  here  and  there 
in  their  eagerness  to  find  and  enjoy  it;  and  I  went  along 
too,  but  on  account  of  my  age  was  not  able  to  travel  as  fast 
as  they,  and  could  not  run  without  loss  of  dignity.  Now  the 
well  was  really  behind  them,  hidden  behind  a  little  hill,  so 

* * 


* . g, 

206  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  14. 


that  they  kept  rushing  further  from  it,  and  I,  ascending  the 
mound,  lighted  suddenly  upon  it,  for  it  lay  on  the  other  side, 
and  there  I  saw  a  number  of  Arabs  gathered  round  it.  When 
I  thus  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  I  cannot  say  whether 
I  was  glad  or  sorry,  for  I  was  between  the  two  conditions  of 
mind,  being  fearful  for  my  personal  safety,  but  very  anxious 
to  see  my  son,  whom  I  hoped  to  deliver  out  of  captivity,  or 
at  least  to  share  captivity  with  him.  Those  who  had  accom- 
panied me  escaped,  throwing  themselves  down,  and  creeping 
away  behind  the  hill ;  but  the  barbarians,  shouting,  sur- 
rounded me,  and  dragged  me  violently  about,  but  I  looked 
about  with  great  desire,  hoping  among  them  to  catch  a  sight 
of  my  boy. 

"Suddenly,  some  of  our  party,  armed,  appeared  on  the 
horizon,  and  the  barbarians,  in  great  alarm,  fled  away,  and 
in  a  moment  the  spot  where  they  had  swarmed  was  bare  and 
lifeless. 

"  Next  day  we  continued  our  course,  and  so  for  four  days 
did  we  persevere,  till  we  reached  the  camp  •  and  when  it 
was  announced  that  there  were  ambassadors  come  to  the 
King,  we  were  brought  before  Hainan,  the  chief  of  the  bar- 
barians. Who,  when  we  had  presented  gifts,  gave  us  a 
gracious  reception,  and  lodged  us  near  him,  till  he  could 
make  perquisition  for  the  offenders.  My  heart  beat  violently, 
and  I  waited  the  result  in  an  agony  of  suspense.  Every 
sound  seemed  to  me  to  speak  of  him  whom  I  sought  so 
anxiously ;  my  ears  were  ever  on  the  alert,  and  my  mind  on 
the  stretch  for  the  tidings,  that  I  might  be  certified  whether 
my  son  lived  or  was  dead.  Ever  before  my  eyes  I  saw  his 
image,  sometimes  I  saw  him  killed  in  one  way,  sometimes  in 
another,  and  I  fancied  I  heard  his  weeping  voice  calling  me. 
O  wretched  boy  !  art  thou  alive  or  art  thou  dead  ?  If  thou 
hast  escaped  death,  what  miserable  bondage  is  thine?  If 
thou  hast  died,  where  is  thine  unburied  corpse  ? 

* _ % 


* — — * 

January  M.]  S.    Theodulus  and  Companions.        207 

"  At  last  the  messengers  returned,  and  by  their  faces  I 
read  the  sad  news.  '  You  need  not  speak,'  I  said,  '  I  see  in 
your  countenances  that  I  have  no  hope.'  But  they  assured 
me  that  Theodulus,  my  little  fellow,  was  not  dead,  but  was 
sold  to  some  one  or  other  in  the  city  Eleusa.  Then  I  re- 
solved to  go  there  in  quest  of  him.  But  I  had  no  rest  in 
mind,  for  I  thought,  Well,  if  he  lives,  he  is  lost  to  me,  for  he 
serves  as  a  slave ;  he  cannot  follow  his  free  will,  but  is  for 
ever  subject  to  the  caprice  of  a  master. 

"  As  we  were  on  our  way  to  Eleusa,  a  young  man,  driving 
some  laden  animals,  met  us.  He  had  already  seen  me  in 
the  camp,  and  he  knew  all  about  my  affair.  He,  being  in 
Eleusa,  made  inquiries,  and  learned  that  my  son  had  been 
brought  there  by  the  barbarians,  and  had  been  sold.  Seeing 
me  coming,  he  advanced  fast  and  smiling  towards  me,  and 
when  we  were  within  speaking  distance,  he  shouted  cheerily 
to  me,  and  stretching  forth  his  right  hand,  he  turned  it  behind 
him  over  his  shoulder,  and  pulled  out  a  letter  from  his 
quiver,  which  he  gave  to  me,  telling  me  that  my  boy  was 
alive,  and  bade  me  be  of  good  cheer,  and  not  to  be  out  of 
heart  because  he  was  a  slave,  for  he  had  been  bought  by  a 
Christian  priest. 

"  Then  I,  being  without  money  or  home,  and  unable  thus 
to  reward  the  fellow,  blessed  him  with  many  tears,  and  prayed 
that  he  might  be  abundantly  rewarded  by  God  for  the  joy  he 
gave  me,  I  being  unable  to  offer  him  anything. 

"  But  I,  as  soon  as  I  reached  the  city,  went  first  of  all  to 
the  church,  as  to  the  source  of  all  good,  and  I  gave  honour 
there  to  God,  watering  the  pavement  with  my  tears,  and  fill- 
ing the  sacred  building  with  the  sound  of  my  sobs.  Thence 
I  was  guided  to  the  house  where  my  son  was,  sending  first 
of  all  before  me  messengers  to  break  the  news  of  my 
coming.  All  knew  me,  by  the  report  which  had  preceded 
me,  to  be  the  father  of  the  boy  who  had  been  sold  there, 

* ■ % 


*_ * 

208  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i4. 

and  there  was  not  a  person  all  along  the  street  who  did  not 
express  joy,  in  countenance,  and  running  out  of  their  houses 
with  glad  faces,  seemed  as  though  each  rejoiced  with  me 
over  a  lost  son  re-found. 

"  Now  when  we  came  to  the  door  of  the  house,  he  was 
called  out  and  told  that  I  was  there,  and  they  brought  him 
to  salute  me.  And  when  we  saw  one  another,  we  did  not 
rejoice,  nor  exclaim  at  first,  but  both  cried  till  our  tears 
dribbled  over  our  breasts.  He  ran  to  me,  but  scarcely  knew 
me,  I  was  so  ragged  in  dress,  and  my  hair  uncombed. 
Believing  what  others  said  rather  than  knowing  me,  he  came 
with  arms  outspread  and  clasped  me  round  with  bursting 
heart.  But  /  knew  him  when  he  was  a  long  way  off,  though 
there  were  numbers  of  others  there,  for  it  was  just  the  same 
face,  stamped  by  constant  remembrance  on  my  mind  ;  and 
unable  to  contain  my  joy,  my  strength  suddenly  failed  me, 
and  I  fell  down.  Then  the  people,  seeing  me  with  open 
mouth  on  the  ground,  thought  me  dead.  There  was  great 
outcry,  but  when  my  son  had  clasped  me  in  his  arms,  my 
spirit  came  back,  and  I  knew  where  I  was,  and  who  I  was, 
whom  I  saw  before  me  with  mine  eyes.  Then  I  hugged 
him  and  he  hugged  me,  never  satisfying  our  great  desire. 
However,  at  last,  when  more  composed,  I  blamed  myself  to 
him  as  the  cause  of  all  these  misfortunes,  because  I  had 
taken  him  away  from  his  home  to  a  wild  place  which  was 
full  of  danger,  and  it  was  so,  as  I  said." 

Then  Theodulus  told  his  father  all  his  adventures  with 
the  Arabs.  "  Father,"  said  he,  "  on  the  night  after  we  were 
taken,  the  barbarians  had  prepared  everything  for  a  sacrifice, 
altar,  sword,  incense,  and  the  like,  and  we  thought  we  were 
sure  to  be  killed  and  offered  up  on  the  morrow.  Then  my 
fellow  captive,  in  the  night,  ran  away  and  escaped,  but  I  was 
afraid  to  do  so,  not  knowing  whither  to  go  in  the  desert,  but 
I  prayed  to  God  till  I  fell  asleep.     And,  waking  early  in  the 

& — * 


January  i4.]  6".    Theodulus  and  Companions.        209 

morning  when  dawn  broke  on  the  horizon,  I  knelt  with  my 
hands  on  my  knees,  and  my  face  bowed  upon  them,  wetting 
my  bosom  with  my  tears,  and  again  with  my  whole  heart  I 
cried  out  to  Him  who  alone  could  deliver  me,  '  Thou,  Lord, 
alone  hast  power  over  life  and  death,  Thou  hast  shown 
wonders  of  old  and  hast  delivered  Thy  servants  out  of  peril. 
Thou  didst  save  Isaac,  lying  on  the  altar,  and  Joseph  from 
the  hands  of  his  brethren.  Save  me,  too,  for  Thy  great 
Name's  sake.' 

"  Then,  presently,  the  Arabs  awoke,  and  making  a  great 
noise  because  my  companion  was  gone,  asked  me  where  he 
was ;  but  when  I  said  that  I  did  not  know,  because  I  had 
not  run  away,  they  were  not  angry.  Then  my  mind  became 
calm,  and  I  blessed  God.  After  that  they  consulted,  and 
brought  me  to  the  city  to  sell  me.  They  stripped  me  naked, 
and  put  a  sword  round  my  neck,  to  show  that  if  I  was  not 
bought  they  would  kill  me.  Then  I  was  exposed  for  sale, 
and  I  stretched  out  my  hands  suppliantiy  to  the  purchasers 
to  save  me  from  death,  promising  my  glad  service  if  they 
would  redeem  my  blood.  Then  after  a  while  he  came  by 
and  bought  me,  even  the  Bishop  of  this  place." 

Now  the  Bishop  had  bought  the  boy  out  of  charity,  and 
he  at  cnce  surrendered  him  to  his  father,  regarding  nothing 
the  price  he  had  paid  for  him,  and  he,  moreover,  furnished 
them  with  food  for  their  long  journey  home  ;  and  before  he 
dismissed  them,  feeling  confident  of  their  vocation,  he  or- 
dained together  to  the  priesthood  both  father  and  son. 


vol.  1.  14 


* * 

210  Lives  of  tlie  Saints.  [January  i4. 

S.  DATIUS,  ABP.  C,  OF  MILAN. 
(a.d.  552.) 

[Roman  and  other  Latin  Martyrologies.  Datius,  Dacius,  or  Dasius,  is 
spoken  of  by  Procopius  Cassidorus,  whose  letter  to  S.  Datius  is  extant,  and 
by  S.  Gregory  the  Great,  who  relates  the  incident  of  his  reduction  of  the 
evil  spirits  to  silence,  narrated  in  the  text,  in  his  Dialogues,  lib.  iii.,  c.  4.] 

S.  Datius  ruled  the  see  of  Milan  in  a  stormy  time,  when 
Italy  was  over-ran  with  the  Goths.  When  Milan  was 
threatened,  S.  Datius  implored  Belisarius  to  come  to  its 
protection,  or  send  troops  to  defend  the  city.  Belisarius 
was  then  at  Rome,  and  S.  Datius  made  the  journey  to  Rome, 
on  purpose  to  urge  upon  him,  in  person,  the  protection  of 
the  city.  Belisarius,  though  hard  pressed  through  the  defici- 
ency of  supplies  afforded  him  by  the  Emperor  Justinian, 
detached  a  body  of  men  to  the  defence  of  the  Milanese,  and 
for  a  time  Milan  was  thought  to  be  safe.  Soon,  however,  a 
large  army  of  Goths  and  Burgundians  swooped  down  upon 
it  and  besieged  it.  Belisarius,  seeing  the  danger  to  which 
the  city  was  exposed,  sent  troops  under  his  generals,  Martin 
and  Uliaris,  to  the  succour.  But  they,  through  timidity,  did 
not  venture  to  attack  the  Goths.  In  the  city  famine  pre- 
vailed to  such  an  extent,  that  as  S.  Datius  relates  in  his  Annals, 
an  unfortunate  mother  roasted  and  ate  her  infant,  that  being 
the  first  morsel  she  had  eaten  since  her  confinement.  The 
city  was  surrendered,  but  the  terms  of  surrender  were  not  kept. 
It  was  given  up  to  plunder,  and  the  streets  ran  with  the  blood 
of  the  butchered  citizens.  What  became  of  the  Archbishop 
is  not  known ;  some  assert  that  he  was  taken  captive  to 
Ravenna,  but  was  liberated  at  the  intercession  of  his  friend 
Cassiodorus. 

The  Arian  King,  Totila,  drove  S.  Datius  from  his  see,  and 
he  escaped  to  Constantinople.  On  his  way  occurred  that 
incident  recorded  by  S.  Gregory  the  Great,  by  which  he  is 
chiefly  known.     Arriving  at  Corinth,  and  looking  about  for 

* ^ 


*- 


January  M.]  B.     Ordovic.  2  I  I 

a  large  house,  which  would  lodge  him  and  his  companions, 
he  saw  a  mansion,  which  seemed  exactly  suited  to  his 
purpose,  and  was  apparently  unoccupied.  Having  insti- 
tuted inquiries,  he  was  told  that  the  house  was  haunted, 
and  that  it  was  impossible  for  any  man  to  spend  the  night 
in  it.  "  Ghost  and  devil  will  not  scare  a  servant  of  God  !" 
said  S.  Datius,  and  he  ordered  beds  to  be  made  in  the 
haunted  house.  He  said  his  prayers  as  usual,  and  then 
retired  to  rest.  About  midnight  he  was  aroused  by  a  hide- 
ous rout,  like  the  braying  of  asses,  t'ie  grunting  of  swine, 
the  squeaking  of  rats,  and  the  hissing  of  serpents.  Then 
Datius,  raising  himself  in  bed,  shouted,  "  Oh,  Satan  !  thou 
who  saidst  in  thine  heart,  I  will  ascend  into  heaven,  I  will 
exalt  my  throne  above  the  stars  of  God :  I  will  be  like  the 
most  High  !  (Isa.  xiv.  13,  14.)  Well  done,  I  say,  Satan  ! 
Thou,  who  wouldst  be  like  God,  art  reduced  to  bray  like  a 
jackass,  and  grunt  like  a  hog."  Instantly  there  was  dead 
silence,  and  S.  Datius  was  no  more  troubled  with  unearthly 
noises. 


B.  ORDORICO,  O.S.F. 
(a.d.  1331.) 

[His  life,  by  several  writers  on  the  Franciscan  Saints.  His  travels  were 
dictated  by  h.m  to  Friar  Guglielmo,  who  wrote  them  down,  and  added  an 
account  of  his  death.  No  copy  of  his  original  Latin  MS.  exists,  and  the 
Italian  and  Latin  copies  we  have  vary  so  much  from  one  another  that  it  is 
difficult  to  know  which  is  the  most  correct.  Copyists,  not  considering  the 
things  related  in  his  travels  as  sufficiently  marvellous,  have  supplied  by 
their  fancy  what  Ordorico  never  dictated.  Although  no  copy  of  the  origi- 
nal MS.  exists,  we  can  trace  the  progress  of  amplification  and  error  by 
comparing  the  oldest  and  best  account  of  the  travels  extant,  with  some  of 
the  later  narratives  of  Friar  Ordorico's  li'e  and  adventure.] 

Among  the  early  travellers  in  the  East   a   conspicuous 
place  is  due  to  Friar  Ordorico  de  Pordenone,  commonly 

A -£ 


X * 

2 1 2  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [.January  ,4. 

called  II  Beato,  the  Blessed.  He  was  born  in  the  district  of 
Pordenone,  in  the  Friuli,  about  the  year  1286.  Early  in 
life  he  entered  the  Order  of  Friars  Minors,  or  Franciscans, 
and  took  the  vows  in  their  house  at  Udine.  After  many 
years  of  exemplary  life  and  industry  he  girded  up  his  loins 
for  the  perilous  pilgrimage  and  great  mission — that  is,  he 
proceeded  to  the  remote  countries  of  the  East  to  convert  the 
infidel  and  idolater.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  absent 
from  Italy  for  the  long  space  of  sixteen  years.  He  took 
with  him  his  monastic  habit,  his  cord,  and  his  pilgrim's  staff, 
and  apparently  no  other  thing.  Where  there  were  Chris- 
tians, he  claimed  their  charity ;  and  where  there  were  none, 
he  threw  himself  upon  the  hospitality  of  the  unbelievers. 
Friar  Ordorico  went  from  the  Adriatic  Sea  to  Constanti- 
nople, and  proceeding  from  that  great  city  to  the  Black  Sea, 
he  landed  at  Trebizond.  From  Trebizond  he  travelled 
through  Armenia  and  Persia,  and  came  to  Ormuz  on  the 
Persian  Gulf.  At  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  he  was  shocked  to 
find  that  the  men  did  the  knitting  and  spinning ;  and  he  was 
surprised  that  they  liked  a  head  of  venison  more  than  four 
fat  partridges.  At  Bagdad,  says  he,  the  men  are  handsome 
and  the  women  ugly ;  the  women  carry  loads  and  the  men 
saunter  about  in  idleness.  But  this,  alas  !  is  not  confined  to 
Bagdad.  At  the  port  of  Balsora  he  embarked,  and  crossing 
the  Indian  Ocean,  he  reached  the  coasts  of  Malabar. 
There,  says  he,  he  much  surprised,  the  people  prefer  dates 
to  venison.  Thence  he  turned  round  upon  Ceylon.  He 
landed  in  that  magnificent  island,  and  travelled  through  the 
greater  part  of  it.  He  describes  the  quantities  of  elephants 
which  are  found  in  the  interior  of  that  country ;  the  blood- 
sucking land-leeches,  so  well-known  to  the  Indians,  which 
render  the  passage  through  the  jungle  so  painful  to 
Europeans ;  he  correctly  describes  the  general  qualities  of 
that  remarkable  tree,   the  talipot,   which  flourishes  in  the 

,j, _— — * 


& £, 

January  i4.]  B.     OrdoTUO.  213 

island  of  Ceylon,  and  in  the  contiguous  Malabar  country. 
He  mentions  Adam's  Peak,  and  the  lake  at  its  side,  which 
the  natives  told  him  was  formed  of  the  tears  of  Adam  and 
Eve  after  their  fall.  "But,"  adds  the  friar,  "I  perceived 
this  to  be  false,  for  I  saw  the  water  flowing  from  the  moun- 
tain into  the  lake,  and  filling  it."  He  adds  that  on  the  sides 
of  the  lake  rubies  are  discovered.  His  account  of  the  pearl 
fishery  is  without  exaggeration.  In  the  neighbouring  con- 
tinent some  of  the  Brahminical  superstitions  are  correctly 
set  down.  The  excessive  cruelty  and  indisputable  canni- 
balism of  the  Andaman  Islanders,  who  are  called  natives  of 
Bodan,  are  accurately  noted.  So  shocked  was  the  friar  with 
what  he  saw  there,  that  he  remained  there  some  while 
preaching,  but  he  admits  with  no  success.  Then  he 
voyaged  to  Meliapore.  After  this  he  ran  down  the  Indian 
Ocean  to  Sumatra  and  Java,  whence  he  appears  to  have 
reached  some  of  the  islands  of  Japan,  which  he  calls  Zapan. 
He  next  entered  the  empire  of  China,  and  there  he  remained 
several  years.  He  travelled  through  various  of  the  vast 
provinces  of  China,  and  then  turned  West,  and  after  long 
and  dangerous  wayfaring,  he  entered  the  country  of 
Thibet. 

In  company  with  three  other  friars,  he  was  one  day  resting 
with  them  under  a  tree,  when  the  Khan  passed  by.  Then 
one  of  the  friars,  who  was  a  bishop,  put  on  his  pontifical  vest- 
ments, and  took  his  pastoral  cross,  and  all  four  advanced  to 
meet  the  Khan  chanting  the  Veni  Creator.  Then  the  Khan 
stopped  his  car,  and  asked  who  these  were,  and  when  told  that 
they  were  four  Frank  missionaries,  he  called  them  to  him,  and 
kissed  the  cross  of  the  bishop.  Then,  because  it  is  the 
custom  of  the  country  not  to  approach  the  king  empty- 
handed,  the  friars  offered  him  a  plate  with  some  apples  on 
it  The  Khan  took  two,  ate  one,  and  drove  away  tossing 
the  other  about  in  his  hands.      From  his  kissing  the  cross 

iji ,5, 


*- 


-* 


214 


Lives  of  the  Saints. 


[January  14. 


the  friars   were  satisfied  that  he  knew   something  of  the 
Catholic  faith. 

The  account  left  of  these  travels  breaks  off  abruptly  in 
Thibet,  leaving  us  entirely  in  the  dark  as  to  the  route  and 
the  manner  by  which  the  friar  reached  Europe.  It  is  known, 
however,  from  a  postscript  to  his  book,  that  he  returned  in 
1330,  when  he  was  forty- four  years  old.  His  health  appears 
to  have  been  much  broken  by  the  fatigues  and  privations 
he  had  undergone  during  his  peregrinations ;  and  he  died 
within  a  few  months  after  his  return  to  his  native  country.1 

1  A  much  fuller  account  of  the  travels  of  B.  Ordorico  than  I  am  able  to  give  here 
may  he  read  in  MacFarlane's  "  Romance  of  Travel,"  II.  c.  1.  The  most  correct 
version  of  these  travels  is  that  given  by  Bollandus,  Jan.  T.  t,  pp.  986-920,  which 
Maclra)lane  does  not  Beem  to  have  seen. 


Hermit  Saints,      fci.   Anthem 


*" 


"* 


* * 

January^.]  ,£     Paul.  21$ 


January  15. 

S.  Ehhysius,  Af.,  at  Cagliari. 

S.  Paul,  the  First  Hermit  in  Egypt,  A.D.  341. 

S.  Macarius  or  Egypt,  P.  and  Ab,,  in  Sctte",  a.d.  391. 

S.  Isidori,  P.  and  Monk,  at  Alexandria,  a.d.  404. 

S.  Alexander  Acctmetus,  at  Constantinople,  circ.  a.d.  430. 

S.  John  the  Calvbite,  $th  unt. 

S.  Maurus,  Ab.  of  Glanfcuil,  ui  Fiance,  a.d.  584. 

S.  Ytha,  V.,  in  Ireland,  6th  cent. 

S.  Bomitus,  or  Bun,  B.  of  Claremont,  beginning  of  8th  cent. 

S.  Embirt,  B.  of  Cambrai,  beginning  of  8th  cent. 

S.  Ceolwulf,  A',  and  Monk,  in  Kngland,  8th  cent. 

S.  PAUL,  THE  FIRST  HERMIT  IN  EGYPT. 
(a.d.  341.) 

[S.  Paul  died  on  Jan.  10th,  on  which  day  he  is  commemorated  in 
most  ancient  Martyrologies,  as  the  Roman,  that  of  Cologne,  Bede,  &c. 
But  both  Greeks  and  Latins  have  transferred  his  feast  to  Jan.  15th,  so 
as  not  to  interfere  with  the  celebration  of  the  Octave  of  the  Epiphany. 
The  York  Breviary  and  those  of  Paul  III.,  and  of  the  Dominican  Order, 
commemorate  him  on  the  29th  Jan.  His  life,  written  by  S.  Jerome,  is  per- 
fectly authentic.  The  following  is  a  translation,  much  abridged,  from  the 
original] 

UNDER  the   persecuting   Emperors    Decius  and 

Valerius,  at  the  time  that  Cornelius  was  Bishop 

at    Rome,    and   Cyprian,   Bishop  at    Carthage, 

were  condemned  to  shed  their  blessed  blood,  a 

cruel  tempest  swept  over  the  Churches  in  Egypt  and  the 

Thebaid. 

"  In  those  days,  in  the  Lower  Thebaid,  was  Paul,  to  whom 
had  been  left  a  rich  inheritance,  at  the  death  of  both  his 
parents,  with  a  sister  already  married.  He  was  then  about 
fifteen  years  old,  well  taught  in  Greek  and  Egyptian  litera- 
ture, gentle  tempered,  and  loving  God  much.  When  the 
storm  of  persecution  burst,  he  withdrew  into  a  distant  city. 

►j<- - . ^ 


* 1* 

2 1 6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  n. 

But  his  sister's  husband  purposed  to  betray  him,  notwith- 
standing the  tears  of  his  wife ;  however,  the  boy  discovered 
it,  and  fled  into  the  desert  hills.  Once  there,  necessity  be- 
came a  pleasure,  and  going  on,  and  then  stopping  awhile,  he 
reached  at  last  a  stony  cliff,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  a  great 
cave;  its  mouth  closed  with  a  stone.  Having  rolled  this 
away,  and  exploring  more  greedily,  he  saw  within  a  great 
vault  open  to  the  sky  above,  but  shaded  by  the  spreading 
boughs  of  an  ancient  date-palm ;  and  in  it  a  clear  spring, 
the  rill  of  which,  flowing  a  short  space  forth,  was  sucked  up 
again  by  the  soil. 

"  There  were,  besides,  not  a  few  dwellings  in  that  cavern- 
ous mountain,  in  which  he  saw  rusty  anvils  and  hammers, 
with  which  coin  that  had  been  stamped  of  old.  For  this 
place  was  an  old  workshop  for  base  coin. 

"Therefore,  in  this  beloved  dwelling,  offered  him  as  it 
were  by  God,  he  spent  all  his  life  in  prayer  and  solitude, 
while  the  palm-tree  gave  him  food  and  clothes. 

"When  the  blessed  Paul  had  been  leading  the  heavenly  life 
on  earth  for  113  years,  and  Antony,  ninety  years  old,  was 
dwelling  in  another  solitude,  this  thought  (so  Antony  was 
wont  to  assert)  entered  his  mind — that  no  monk  more  per- 
fect than  himself  had  settled  in  the  desert.  But  as  he  lay 
still  by  night,  it  was  revealed  to  him  that  there  was  another 
monk  far  better  than  he,  to  visit  whom  he  must  set  out.  So 
when  the  light  broke,  the  venerable  old  man,  supporting  his 
weak  limbs  on  a  staff,  began  to  go  he  knew  not  whither. 
And  now  the  mid-day,  with  the  sun  roasting  above,  grew 
fierce ;  and  yet  he  was  not  turned  from  the  journey  he  had 
begun,  for  he  said  '  I  trust  in  my  God,  that  he  will  show  His 
servant  that  which  He  has  promised.'  Antony  went  on 
through  that  region,  seeing  only  the  tracks  of  wild  beasts, 
and  the  wide  waste  of  the  desert.  What  he  should  do,  01 
whither  turn,  he  knew  not.     A  second  day  had  now  run  by, 

* & 


HERMIT   SAINT. 
From  a  Drawing  by  A.  Welby  Pugin. 


Jan.,  p.  216.] 


[Jan.  15. 


January  ijj  S.    PailL  21  7 

One  thing  remained,  to  be  confident  that  he  could  not  be 
deserted  by  Christ  All  night  through  he  spent  a  second 
darkness  in  prayer,  and  while  the  light  was  still  dim,  he  saw 
afar  a  she-wolf,  panting  with  heat  and  thirst,  creeping  in  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Following  her  with  his  eyes,  and 
drawing  nigh  to  the  cave  when  the  beast  was  gone,  he  began 
to  look  in  :  but  in  vain  ;  for  the  darkness  stopped  his  view. 
However,  as  the  Scripture  saith,  perfect  love  casteth  out 
fear ;  with  gentle  step  and  bated  breath  the  cunning  explorer 
entered,  and  going  forward  slowly,  and  stopping  often, 
watched  for  a  sound.  At  length  he  saw  afar  off  a  light 
through  the  horror  of  the  darkness;  then  he  hastened  on 
more  greedily,  struck  his  foot  against  a  stone,  and  made  a 
noise,  at  which  the  blessed  Paul  shut  and  barred  his  door, 
which  had  stood  open. 

"  Then  Antony,  casting  himself  down  before  the  entrance, 
prayed  there  till  the  sixth  hour,  and  more,  to  be  let  in, 
saying,  '  Who  I  am,  and  whence,  and  why  I  am  come,  thou 
knowest  I  know  that  I  deserve  not  to  see  thy  face ;  yet, 
unless  I  see  thee,  I  will  not  return.  Thou  who  receivest 
beasts,  why  repellest  thou  a  man  ?  I  have  sought,  and  I 
have  found.  I  knock  that  it  may  be  opened  to  me  :  which 
if  I  win  not,  here  will  I  die  before  thy  gate.  Surely  thou 
shalt  at  least  bury  my  corpse.' 

"  'No  one  begs  thus  to  threaten.  No  one  does  injury  with 
tears.  And  dost  thou  wonder  why  I  do  not  let  thee  in,  see- 
ing thou  art  a  mortal  guest?'  Thus  spake  Paul,  and  then 
smiling,  he  opened  the  door.  They  mutually  embraced 
and  saluted  each  other  by  name,  and  committed  themselves 
in  common  to  the  grace  of  God.  And  after  the  holy  kiss, 
Paul,  sitting  down  with  Antony,  thus  began — 

"  'Behold  him  whom  thou  hast  sought  with  such  labour; 
with  limbs  decayed  by  age,  and  covered  with  unkempt  white 
hair.    Behold,  thou  seest  but  a  mortal,  soon  to  become  dust. 


2i8  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [>nu*ryiS. 


But,  because  charity  bears  all  things,  tell  me,  I  pray  thee, 
how  fares  the  human  race  ?  whether  new  houses  are  rising 
in  the  ancient  cities?  by  what  emperor  is  the  world  governed? 
whether  there  are  any  left  who  are  led  captive  by  the  deceits 
of  the  devil  ?'  As  they  spoke  thus,  they  saw  a  raven  settle 
on  a  bough  ;  who,  flying  gently  down,  laid,  to  their  wonder, 
a  whole  loaf  before  them.  When  he  was  gone,  '  Ah,'  said 
Paul,  '  the  Lord  truly  loving,  truly  merciful,  hath  sent  us  a 
meal.  For  sixty  years  past  I  have  received  daily  half  a  loaf, 
but,  at  thy  coming,  Christ  hath  doubled  his  soldiers'  allow- 
ance.' Then,  having  thanked  God,  they  sat  down  on  the 
brink  of  the  glassy  spring. 

"  But  here  a  contention  arising  as  to  which  of  them  should 
break  the  loaf,  occupied  the  day  till  well-nigh  evening.  Paul 
insisted,  as  the  host ;  Antony  declined,  as  the  younger  man. 
At  last  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  take  hold  of  the  loaf 
at  opposite  ends,  and  each  pull  towards  himself,  and  keep 
what  was  left  in  his  hand.  Next  they  stooped  down,  and 
drank  a  little  water  from  the  spring  ;  then,  offering  to  God 
the  sacrifice  of  praise,  they  passed  the  night  watching. 

"  And  when  day  dawned  again,  the  blessed  Paul  said  to 
Antony,  '  1  knew  long  since,  brother,  that  thou  wert  dwell- 
ing in  these  lands;  long  since  God  had  promised  thee  to  me 
as  a  fellow-servant :  but  because  the  time  of  my  falling  asleep 
is  now  come,  and  (because  I  always  longed  to  depart,  and 
to  be  with  Christ)  there  is  laid  up  for  me,  when  I  have 
finished  my  course,  a  crown  of  righteousness  ;  therefore  thou 
art  sent  from  the  Lord  to  cover  my  corpse  with  mould,  and 
give  back  dust  to  dust.' 

"  Antony,  hearing  this,  prayed  him  with  tears  and  groans 
not  to  desert  him,  but  take  him  as  his  companion  on  such  a 
journey.  But  he  said,  'Thou  must  not  seek  the  things  which 
are  thine  own,  but  the  things  of  others.  It  is  expedient 
for  thee,  indeed,  to  cast  off  the  burden  of  the  flesh,  and 

* * 


January  is.]  S.     Pa?ll.  1\^ 

to  follow  the  Lamb  :  but  it  is  expedient  for  the  rest  of  the 
brethren  that  they  should  be  still  trained  by  thine  example. 
Wherefore  go,  unless  it  displeases  thee,  and  bring  the  cloak 
which  Athanasius  the  bishop  gave  thee,  to  wrap  up  my 
corpse.'  But  this  the  blessed  Paul  asked,  not  because  he 
cared  greatly  whether  his  body  decayed  covered  or  bare 
(for  he  had  long  been  used  to  clothe  himself  with  woven 
palm  leaves),  but  that  Antony's  grief  at  his  death  might 
be  lightened  when  he  left  him.  Antony  astounded  that 
he  had  heard  of  Athanasius  and  his  own  cloak,  dared 
answer  nothing :  but  keeping  in  silence,  and  kissing  his 
eyes  and  hands,  returned  to  the  monastery.  Tired  and 
breathless,  he  arrived  at  home.  There  two  disciples  met 
him,  who  had  been  long  sent  to  minister  to  him,  and 
asked  him,  '  Where  hast  thou  tarried  so  long,  father  ?' 
He  answered,  '  Woe  to  me  a  sinner,  who  falsely  bear 
the  name  of  a  monk.  I  have  seen  Elias ;  I  have  seen 
John  in  the  desert;  I  have  truly  seen  Paul  in  Paradise;' 
and  so,  closing  his  lips,  and  beating  his  breast,  he  took  the 
cloak  from  his  cell,  and  when  his  disciples  asked  him  to  ex- 
plain more  fully  what  had  befallen,  he  said,  'There  is  a  time 
to  be  silent,  and  a  time  to  speak."  Then  going  out,  and 
not  taking  even  a  morsel  of  food,  he  returned  by  the  way  he 
had  come.  For  he  feared — what  actually  happened — lest 
Paul  in  his  absence  should  render  up  his  soul  to  Christ. 

'And  when  the  second  day  had  shone,  and  he  had  retraced 
his  steps  for  three  hours,  he  saw  amid  hosts  of  angels, 
amid  the  choirs  of  prophets  and  apostles,  Paul  shining 
white  as  snow,  ascending  up  on  high.  The  blessed  Antony 
used  to  tell  afterwards,  how  he  ran  the  rest  of  the  way  so 
swiftly,  that  he  seemed  to  fly  like  a  bird.  Nor  without 
cause.  For  entering  the  cave  he  saw  Paul  on  bended 
knees,  erect  with  hands  spread  out  on  high, — a  lifeless 
corpse.      And    at    first,     thinking    that   it    still    lived,    he 

^ _ —  — %< 


2  20  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  15. 

prayed  in  like  wise.  But  when  he  heard  no  sighs  come 
from  the  worshipper's  breast,  he  gave  him  a  tearful  kiss, 
understanding  how  the  very  corpse  of  the  Saint  was  pray- 
ing to  that  God  to  whom  all  live. 

"So,  having  wrapped  up  and  carried  forth  the  corpse,  and 
chanting  hymns,  Antony  grew  sad,  because  he  had  no  spade, 
wherewith  to  dig  the  ground;  and  thinking  over  many  plans 
in  his  mind,  said,  '  If  I  go  back  to  the  monastery,  it  is  a 
three  days'  journey.  If  I  stay  here,  I  shall  be  of  no  more  use. 
I  will  die,  then,  as  it  is  fit ;  and,  falling  beside  thy  warrior, 
O  Christ !  breathe  my  last  breath.' 

"  As  he  was  thinking  thus  to  himself,  two  lions  came  run. 
ning  from  the  inner  part  of  the  desert,  their  manes  tossing 
on  their  necks.  Seeing  these,  he  shuddered  at  first :  but 
then,  turning  his  mind  to  God,  he  remained  without  fear. 
They  came  straight  to  the  corpse  of  the  blessed  old  man, 
and  crouched  at  his  feet,  wagging  their  tails,  and  roaring 
with  mighty  growls,  so  that  Antony  understood  them  to 
lament,  as  best  they  could.  Then  they  began  to  claw  the 
ground  with  their  paws,  and,  carrying  out  the  sand  eagerly, 
dug  a  place  large  enough  to  hold  a  man  :  then  at  once,  as  if 
begging  a  reward  for  their  work,  they  came  to  Antony, 
drooping  their  necks,  and  licking  his  hands  and  feet.  But 
he  perceived  that  they  prayed  a  blessing  from  him;  and  at 
once,  bursting  into  praise  of  Christ,  because  even  dumb 
animals  felt  that  He  was  God,  he  said,  'Lord,  without 
whose  word  not  a  leaf  of  the  tree  drops,  nor  one  sparrow 
falls  to  the  ground,  give  to  them  as  thou  knowest  how  to 
give.'  And,  signing  to  them  with  his  hand,  he  bade 
them  go. 

"  And  when  they  had  departed,  he  bent  his  aged  shoulders 
to  the  weight  of  the  holy  corpse;  and  laying  it  in  the  grave, 
heaped  earth  on  it,  and  raised  a  mound  as  is  the  wont. 
And  when  another  dawn  shone,  lest  the  pious  heir  should 


Ig — ■ * 

January  ij.]         S.  Macarius  of Egypt.  221 

not  possess  aught  of  the  goods  of  the  intestate  dead,  he 
kept  for  himself  the  tunic  which  Paul  had  woven  out  of  the 
leaves  of  the  palm;  and  returning  to  the  monastery,  told 
his  disciples  all  throughout ;  and,  on  the  solemn  days  of 
Easter  and  Pentecost,  he  always  clothed  himself  in  Paul's 
tunic." 

S.  MACARIUS  OF  EGYPT,  AB. 
(a.d.  391.) 

[Not  to  be  confounded  with  S.  Macarius  of  Alexandria  (Jan.  2nd).  This 
Macarius  is  commemorated  by  the  Greeks  on  Jan.  19th  ;  by  the  Roman  later 
Martyrology  on  Jan.  15th,  but  in  earlier  ones  on  the  same  day  as  the  other 
Macarius,  Jan.  2nd.  Authorities  for  his  life  are  Palladius,  in  his  History 
Lausiaca,  a  thoroughly  trustworthy  contemporary,  Ruffinus,  Sozomen, 
Socrates,  Cassian,  &c] 

S.  Macarius  the  Elder  was  born  in  Upper  Egypt,  about 
the  year  300,  and  was  brought  up  in  the  country  to  attend 
cattle.  In  his  childhood,  in  company  with  some  others,  he 
stole  some  figs  and  ate  one  of  them ;  but  from  his  conversion 
to  his  death,  he  never  ceased  bewailing  this  offence.  By  a 
powerful  call  of  divine  grace,  he  was  led  to  desert  the  world 
in  his  youth,  and  to  take  up  his  abode  in  a  little  cell  made 
of  mats.  A  wicked  woman  falsely  accused  him  of  having 
deflowered  her ;  for  which  supposed  crime  he  was  dragged 
through  the  streets,  beaten  and  insulted,  as  a  base  hypocrite 
under  the  garb  of  a  monk.  He  suffered  all  with  patience, 
and  sent  the  woman  what  he  earned  by  his  work,  saying  to 
himself,  "Well,  Macarius,  having  now  another  to  provide 
for,  you  must  work  all  the  harder."  But  the  woman,  in  the 
anguish  of  her  travail,  confessed  that  she  had  maligned  him, 
and  told  the  real  name  of  her  seducer.  Then  the  people 
regarded  him  as  a  Saint,  whom  lately  they  would  have  slain. 
To  shun  the  esteem  of  men  he  fled  into  the  desert  of  Scete, 
being  then  about  thirty  years  of  age.     In  this  solitude  he 


*- 


* * 

222  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  1$. 


lived  sixty  years,  and  became  the  spiritual  father  of  innumer- 
able holy  persons,  who  put  themselves  under  his  direction, 
and  were  governed  by  the  rules  he  prescribed  them ;  but 
all  dwelt  in  separate  hermitages.  S.  Macarius  admitted  only 
one  disciple  with  him  to  entertain  strangers. 

He  was  compelled  by  an  Egyptian  bishop  to  receive  the 
order  of  priesthood,  about  the  year  340,  the  fortieth  of  his 
age,  that  he  might  celebrate  the  Divine  Mysteries  for  the 
convenience  of  his  holy  colony.  When  the  desert  be- 
came better  peopled,  there  were  fou:  churches  built  in  it, 
served  by  as  many  priests.  The  austerities  of  S.  Macarius 
were  very  severe.  He  usually  ate  but  once  a  week. 
Evagrius,  his  disciple,  once  asked  him  leave  to  drink  a 
little  water,  under  a  parching  thirst :  but  Macarius  bade  him 
be  satisfied  with  reposing  a  little  in  the  shade,  saying,  "  For 
these  twenty  years  I  have  never  eaten,  drunk,  nor  slept  as 
much  as  nature  demanded."  To  deny  his  own  will,  he  did 
not  refuse  to  drink  a  little  wine,  when  others  desired  him  ; 
but  he  would  punish  himself  for  this  indulgence  by  abstain- 
ing two  or  three  days  from  all  manner  of  drink ;  and  it  was 
for  this  reason  that  his  disciples  desired  strangers  never  to 
tender  him  a  drop  of  wine.  He  delivered  his  instructions  in 
few  words,  and  principally  inculcated  silence,  humility, 
mortification  and  continual  prayer,  to  all  sorts  of  people. 
He  used  to  say,  "  In  prayer  you  need  not  use  many  c  r 
grand  words.  You  can  always  repeat,  Lord,  show  me 
mercy  as  Thou  knowest  best ;  or,  Assist  me,  O  Lord  !" 

His  mildness  and  patience  were  invincible,  and  occasioned 
the  conversion  of  a  heathen  priest.  A  young  man  applying 
to  S.  Macarius  for  spiritual  advice,  he  directed  him  to  go  to 
a  burying  place  and  upbraid  the  dead  ;  and  after  that  to 
go  and  flatter  them.  "  Well,"  said  Macarius,  when  the 
young  man  returned,  "  How  did  the  dead  receive  thy  abuse 
of  them."    "They  answered  not  a  word,"  he  replied.    "And 

* ^ 


* (J, 

January  iS.]  S.     MciCCLriuS    of  Egypt.  2  23 

how  did  they  behave  when  flattered?"  "They  took 
no  notice  of  that  either."  "Go,"  said  Macarius,  "and  do 
thou  likewise." 

A  monk  complained  to  Macarius  that  he  could  fast  in  the 
monastery,  but  not  in  solitude.  "  Ah  !"  said  the  abbot, 
"  thou  likest  to  have  people  see  that  thou  art  fasting.  Be- 
ware of  vainglory." 

God  revealed  to  Macarius  that  two  women  in  the  nearest 
city  excelled  him  in  virtue,  in  spite  of  all  his  fasting,  and 
tears,  and  prayer.  He  took  his  staff,  and  left  the  desert, 
and  went  in  quest  of  them,  and  lo  !  they  were  two  homely 
married  women,  of  whom  no  one  talked,  but  who  were 
extremely  careful  not  to  say  spiteful  things  of  their  neigh- 
bours, who  had  not  the  smallest  idea  that  they  were  saints, 
and  who  laboured  night  and  day  to  make  home  pleasant  to 
their  husbands  and  children. 

Lucius,  the  Arian  usurper  of  the  see  of  Alexandria,  who 
had  expelled  Peter,  the  successor  of  S.  Athanasius,  in  376, 
sent  troops  into  the  deserts,  to  disperse  the  zealous  monks, 
several  of  whom  sealed  their  faith  with  their  blood.  The 
chiefs,  the  two  Macarii,  Isidore,  Pambo,  and  others,  were 
banished,  by  the  authority  of  the  Emperor  Valens,  to  a  little 
isle  of  Egypt,  in  the  midst  of  stagnant  marshes.  The  inha- 
bitants, who  were  pagans,  were  all  converted  to  the  faith  by 
these  confessors.  The  public  indignation  obliged  Lucius  to 
suffer  them  to  return  to  their  cells. 

The  Church  of  God  flashes  forth  some  peculiar  type  of 
sanctity  at  one  time,  and  then  another.  It  is  like  a  rain-drop 
in  the  sun,  blazing  now  crimson,  now  green,  now  yellow, 
now  blue.  As  there  is  need,  God  calls  up  an  army  of 
Saints,  exactly  adapted  to  meet  the  difficulties  of  the  times, 
to  uphold  the  truth,  and  form,  as  it  were,  a  prop  to  stay  up 
his  tottering  Church.  Now  it  is  the  martyrs,  who  by  their 
constancy  conquer  the  infidels,  now  it  is  these  hermits  of  the 

* ■ >h 


*- 


-* 


224  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  iS. 


Syrian  and  Egyptian  deserts,  against  whose  orthodoxy 
Arianism  breaks  and  crumbles  to  powder.  Humanly 
speaking,  these  hermits  saved  the  doctrine  of  the  Godhead 
of  Christ  from  being  denied,  and  disappearing  from  the 
creed  of  the  Church.  An  age  like  the  present,  so  like  the 
condition  of  the  Roman  world  in  its  highest  civilization, 
when  pleasure  and  self-will  are  the  sole  things  sought,  and 
when  Arianism  is  in  power  in  high  places,  and  the  learned 
and  polished,  admitting  the  excellency  of  Christianity  in 
general,  allow  to  Christ  only  the  place  of  a  founder  of  a 
school  of  religious  thought — such  an  age  as  this  seems  one 
meet  for  the  revival  of  the  hermit  life  as  a  witness  for  the  truth, 
and  a  protest  against  luxury.  This,  and  this  only,  as  far  as 
we  can  judge,  will  meet  the  great  want  of  the  day ;  it  is  not 
preaching  that  will  recover  the  multitude  lapsed  into  religious 
indifference  ;  it  must  be  the  example  of  men,  believing  with 
such  a  fiery  faith,  that  they  sacrifice  everything  the  world  holds 
precious,  for  the  sake  of  the  truth  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  ever- 
lasting God,  came  in  the  Flesh. 

Nothing  in  the  wonderful  history  of  the  hermits  of  Egypt 
is  so  incredible  as  their  number.  But  the  most  weighty 
authorities  agree  in  establishing  it.  It  was  a  kind  of  emi- 
gration of  towns  to  the  desert,  of  civilization  to  simplicity, 
of  noise  to  silence,  of  corruption  to  innocence.  The  current 
once  begun,  floods  of  men,  of  women,  and  of  children  threw 
themselves  into  it,  and  flowed  thither  during  a  century,  with 
resistless  force.  Let  us  quote  some  figures.  Pachomius, 
who  died  at  fifty-six,  reckoned  three  thousand  monks  undei 
his  rule ;  his  monasteries  of  Tabenna  soon  included  seven 
thousand,  and  S.  Jerome  affirms  that  as  many  as  fifty 
thousand  were  present  at  the  annual  gathering  of  the  general 
congregation  of  monasteries  which  followed  his  rule. 

There  were  five  thousand  on  the  mountain  of  Nitria 
alone.    Nothing  was  more  frequent  than  to  see  two  hundred, 


-* 


* — ■ * 

January  iS.]         S.  Macarius  of  Egypt.  225 

three  hundred,  or  five  hundred  monks  under  the  same 
abbot.  Near  Arsinoe  (now  Suez),  the  abbot  Serapion 
governed  ten  thousand,  who,  in  the  harvest  time,  spread 
themselves  over  the  country  to  cut  the  corn,  and  thus 
gained  the  means  of  living  and  giving  alms.  It  has  even 
been  asserted  that  there  were  as  many  monks  in  the  deserts 
of  Egypt  as  inhabitants  in  the  towns.  The  towns  them- 
selves were,  so  to  speak,  inundated  by  them,  since  in  356,  a 
traveller  found  in  the  single  town  of  Oxyrynchus  (Abou 
Girge)  upon  the  Nile,  ten  thousand  monks  and  twenty 
thousand  virgins  consecrated  to  God.1  The  immense 
majority  of  these  religious  were  cenobites,  that  is  to  say, 
they  lived  in  the  same  enclosure,  and  were  united  by  com- 
mon rule  and  practice  under  an  elected  head,  whom  they 
everywhere  called  abbot,  from  the  Syriac  word  abba,  which 
means  father.  The  cenobitical  life  superseded  rapidly,  and 
almost  completely,  the  life  of  solitaries.  Scarcely  any  man 
became  a  solitary  until  after  having  been  a  cenobite,  and 
in  order  to  meditate  upon  God  during  the  last  years  of  his 
life.  Custom  has,  therefore,  given  the  title  of  monks  to 
cenobites  alone. 

Ambitious  at  once  of  reducing  to  subjection  their  re- 
bellious flesh,  and  of  penetrating  the  secrets  of  the  ce- 
lestial light,  these  cenobites  united  the  active  with  the 
contemplative  life.  The  various  and  incessant  labours 
which  filled  up  their  days  are  known.  In  the  great  frescoes 
of  the  cemetery  of  Pisa,  they  appear  in  their  coarse  black 
or  brown  dresses,  a  cowl  upon  their  shoulders,  occupied 
in  digging  up  the  soil,  in  cutting  down  trees,  in  fishing  in 
the  Nile,  in  milking  the  goats,  in  gathering  the  dates  which 
served  them  for  food,  in  plaiting  the  mats  on  which  they 
were  to  die.     Others  are  absorbed  in  reading  or  meditating 

1  For  authorities  for  these  statements,  see  Montalembert's  Monks  of  the  West, 
•■  P-  3IS- 

VOL.    I.                                                                                                         15 
ft — * 


226  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [jsumrayis. 

on  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Thus  a  Saint  has  said  that  the  cells 
united  in  the  desert  were  like  a  hive  of  bees.  There  each 
had  in  his  hands  the  wax  of  labour,  and  in  his  mouth  the 
honey  of  psalms  and  prayers.  The  days  were  divided 
between  prayer  and  work.  The  work  was  divided  between 
field  labour  and  the  exercise  of  various  trades.  There  were 
among  these  monks  entire  colonies  of  weavers,  of  carpen- 
ters, of  curriers,  of  tailors,  and  of  fullers.1  All  the  rules  of 
the  patriarchs  of  the  desert  made  labour  obligatory,  and  the 
example  of  their  holy  lives  gave  authority  to  the  rule. 
When  Macarius  of  Egypt  came  to  visit  the  great  Antony, 
they  immediately  set  to  work  on  their  mats  together,  con- 
ferring thus  upon  things  important  to  souls  ;  and  Antony 
was  so  edified  by  the  zeal  of  the  priest,  that  he  kissed  his 
hands,  saying,  "  What  virtues  proceed  from  these  hands  !" 

Each  monastery  was  then  a  great  school  of  labour;  it 
was  also,  at  the  same  time,  a  great  school  of  charity.  The 
monks  practised  charity  not  only  among  themselves,  and 
with  regard  to  the  poor  inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring 
countries,  but  especially  in  the  case  of  travellers  whom  the 
necessities  of  commerce  called  to  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and 
of  the  numerous  pilgrims,  whom  their  increasing  fame  drew  to 
the  desert.  A  more  generous  hospitality  had  never  been 
exercised,  nor  had  the  universal  mercy,  introduced  by 
Christianity  into  the  world,  blossomed  anywhere  to  such  an 
extent.  A  thousand  incidents  in  their  history  reveal  the 
most  tender  solicitude  for  the  miseries  of  the  poor.  The 
Xenodochium — that  is,  the  asylum  for  the  poor  and  strangers 
— formed  from  that  time  a  necessary  appendix  to  every 
monastery.  The  most  ingenious  combinations,  and  the 
most  gracious  inspirations  of  charity  are  to  be  found  in  this 
history.  A  certain  monastery  served  as  an  hospital  for  sick 
children ;  another  was  transformed  by  its  founder  into  an 

1  S.  Jerome,  Froef.  in  Reg.  S.  Fachomii,  S  6. 
* — * 


January  ij.)         ,£  Macarius  of  Egypt.  227 

hospital  for  lepers  and  cripples.  "  Behold,"  said  he,  in 
shewing  to  the  ladies  of  Alexandria  the  upper  floor  which 
was  reserved  for  women,  "  behold  my  jacinths."  Then  con- 
ducting them  to  the  floor  below,  were  the  men  were  placed, 
"  See  my  emeralds." 

They  were  hard  only  upon  themselves.  Under  a  burning 
sky,  in  a  climate  which  has  always  seemed  the  cause,  or  the 
excuse  of  vice,  in  a  country  given  up  at  all  times  to  every 
kind  of  luxury  and  depravity,  there  were  thousands  of  men 
who,  during  two  centuries,  interdicted  themselves  from  the 
very  shadow  of  a  sensual  gratification,  and  made  of  the  most 
rigorous  mortification  a  rule  as  universal  as  a  second  nature. 

It  was  their  rule  also  to  cultivate  the  mind  by  the  study 
of  sacred  literature.  The  rule  of  S.  Pachomius  made  the 
reading  of  divers  portions  of  the  Bible  a  strict  obligation. 
All  the  monks,  besides,  were  required  to  be  able  to  read 
and  write.  To  qualify  themselves  for  reading  the  Scriptures 
was  the  first  duty  imposed  upon  the  novices. 

When,  towards  evening,  at  the  hour  of  vespers,  after  a 
day  of  stifling  heat,  all  work  ceased,  and  from  the  midst  of 
the  sands,  from  the  depths  of  caverns,  from  pagan  temples 
cleared  of  their  idols,  and  from  all  the  vast  tombs  of  a 
people  dead,  now  occupied  by  these  men  dead  to  the 
world,  the  cry  of  a  living  people  rose  to  heaven  ;  when 
everywhere,  and  all  at  once,  the  air  vibrated  with  hymns, 
prayers,  and  the  pious  and  solemn,  tender  and  joyous  songs 
of  these  champions  of  the  soul  and  conquerors  of  the 
desert,  who  celebrated,  in  the  language  of  David,  the  praises 
of  the  living  God,  the  thanksgivings  of  the  freed  soul,  and 
the  homage  of  vanquished  passions, — then  the  traveller, 
the  pilgrim,  and  especially  the  new  convert  stood  still,  lost 
in  emotion,  and  transported  with  the  sounds  of  that  sub- 
lime concert,  cried  aloud,  "  Behold,  this  is  Paradise."1 

1  Pallad.  Hist.  Lausiaca,  c.  7. 

* " * 


* * 

228  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  iS. 

"Go,"  said  the  most  eloquent  doctor  of  the  Church  at 
that  period;  "go  to  the  Thebaid;  you  will  find  there  a 
solitude  still  more  beautiful  than  Paradise,  a  thousand 
choirs  of  angels  under  human  form,  nations  of  martyrs, 
armies  of  virgins,  the  diabolical  tyrant  chained,  and  Christ 
triumphant  and  glorified."1 

S.   ISIDORE,    P.    AND    MONK    IN    ALEXANDRIA. 
(a.d.  404.) 

[Almost  all  the  ancient  Martyrologies  commemorate  S.  Isidore  on  the 
same  day  as  S.  Macarius  the  Elder.  Authorities  for  his  life,  same  as  for 
S.  Macarius.] 

S.  Isidore,  priest  and  monk,  lived  in  Alexandria  as 
hospitaller,  that  is,  in  charge  of  a  hospital  for  the  reception 
of  strangers  and  the  poor.  He  suffered  many  persecutions, 
first  from  Lucius,  the  Arian  Bishop,  who  ill-treated  the  two 
Macarii,  and  afterwards  from  the  orthodox  bishop,  Theo- 
philus,  who,  moved  by  some  jealousy,  unjustly  charged  him 
with  favouring  the  views  of  Origen.  He  took  refuge  at 
Constantinople  with  S.  John  Chrysostom,  where  he  repu- 
diated the  heresy  of  Origen,  declaring  that  he  was  falsely 
accused  of  holding  it,  and  died  in  404. 


S.    ALEXANDER,    OF    THE    SLEEPLESS    ONES, 

MONK  AT  ALEXANDRIA. 

(about  a.d.  430.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  Greek  Menoea.  The  life  of  S.  Alexander, 
written  by  a  disciple  of  his,  exists  in  Greek.  From  this  the  following 
epitome  is  taken.] 

S.  Alexander  was  of  Asiatic  origin,  and  was  educated  at 
Constantinople,    where    he    entered   the   army,    and   was 

1  S.  John  Chrysostom,  in  Matt.,  horn.  VIII.  The  above  account  of  the  life  of  the 
monks  in  Egypt  is  by  the  eloquent  pen  of  the  Count  de  Montalembert. 

* " * 


-* 


January^.]  S.  Alexander.  229 


advanced  to  the  office  of  eparchus,  or  proctor.  Being  a 
studious  reader  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  he  often 
mused  on  the  words  of  Christ,  "  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go 
and  sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt 
have  treasure  in  heaven ;  and  come,  follow  Me."  (Matt 
xix.  21). 

Then,  moved  by  these  words,  he  resolved  to  obey  the 
command,  and  he  sold  his  possessions  and  made  distribu- 
tion unto  those  that  had  need ;  and  hastening  away,  into  the 
solitudes  of  Syria,  he  became  a  monk  for  seven  years. 

After  that,  inflamed  with  zeal  against  idolatry,  he  went 
into  the  nearest  city,  which  was  Edessa,  on  a  solemn  festival 
of  the  heathen  gods,  and  set  fire  to  the  temple.  He  was  at 
once  seized  and  brought  before  the  governor,  Rabbulus,  who 
remanded  him  till  the  rage  of  the  populace  should  be  abated, 
and  he  could  be  judged  with  calmness  and  equity. 

Rabbulus  often  sent  for  Alexander  out  of  prison,  and 
heard  him  gladly.  And  Alexander  unfolded  to  him  the 
doctrine  of  Christ  and  the  great  power  of  God.  And  as  he 
expounded  to  him  the  Scriptures,  he  related  the  wondrous 
works  of  Elijah,  how  that  he  had  prayed,  and  God  had  with- 
held the  rain  three  years,  and  at  his  prayer  had  again  brought 
a  cloud  and  abundance  of  rain  upon  the  earth,  and  also  how 
he  had  cried,  and  God  had  sent  fire  from  heaven  to  consume 
his  sacrifice.  Then,  hearing  this,  Rabbulus  said,  "  Nay ! 
thou  speakest  of  marvels.  If  the  God  of  whom  thou  tellest 
wrought  those  wonders  then,  He  can  work  them  now.  Cry 
unto  Him  to  send  fire  on  earth,  that  I  may  see  and 
believe." 

Instantly,  filled  with  confidence,  the  holy  man,  Alexander, 
turned  to  the  East  and  spread  forth  his  hands,  and  prayed  : 
then  there  fell  fire  from  heaven,  and  consumed  the  mats 
that  were  laid  upon  the  ground,  but  hurt  nothing  else.  And 
the  Governor  bowed  his  head,  and  said,  "  The  Lord  He  is 


■* 


230  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  15. 

God,  the  Lord  He  is  God !"  Then  he  was  baptized,1  he 
and  all  his  house,  and  he  suffered  Alexander  to  go  forth  to 
the  people,  and  in  their  audience  plead  for  the  cause  of 
Christ  against  their  false  gods.  So  they  hastened  and 
destroyed  their  images,  and  multitudes  were  added  to  the 
Church.  And  after  that  Alexander  went  away  into  the 
desert,  where  he  heard  there  was  a  band  of  robbers,  desiring 
to  save  their  souls,  as  Jesus  on  the  Cross  had  saved  the 
thief.  So  the  robbers  took  him,  and  he  exhorted  them,  and 
spake  the  Word  to  them,  and  they  believed,  they  and  their 
chief,  so  that  he  tarried  some  while  with  them — they  were 
thirty  in  number — and  he  baptized  them.  But  the  robber- 
chief,  as  he  was  being  baptized,  prayed  in  secret.  Then  said 
Alexander,  "I  saw  thy  lips  move.  What  was  thy  petition?" 
And  he  answered,  "  I  have  been  a  great  sinner,  and  I  fear 
my  old  habits  of  evil  resuming  the  mastery.  I  prayed  God, 
if  it  were  His  will,  to  let  His  servant  depart  in  peace,  now 
that  mine  eyes  have  seen  salvation."  The  prayer  was  heard, 
and  the  captain  died  within  eight  days,  whilst  still  in  the 
white  dress  he  wore  for  his  baptism.  But  Alexander 
remained  with  the  robbers,  and  turned  their  den  into  a 
monastery,  and  converted  the  robbers  into  monks,  and  they 
served  God  in  fasting  and  prayer.  Now  when  he  saw  that 
they  were  established  firmly  in  the  course  of  penitence,  he 
appointed  one  of  them  to  be  their  abbot,  and  he  went  his 
way  into  Mesopotamia,  and  founded  a  monastery  on  the 
Euphrates,  where  he  dwelt  twenty  years,  and  had  very  many 
monks  under  him.  And  after  that  he  visited  Antioch, 
Palmyra,  and  other  cities,  taking  with  him  one  hundred  and 
fifty  of  his  monks,  that  they  might  preach  the  Gospel  to  those 
who  were  yet  in  heathen  darkness.  The  people  of  Palmyra 
shut  their  gates  against  him,  saying  that  such  a  host  of 
monks  would  devour  all  the  produce  in  the  market     Then 

1  Rabbulus  was  afterwards  consecrated  Bishop  of  Edessa. 
* ■ * 


* * 

January  ij.]  ,&  Alexander.  231 

Alexander  and  his  brethren  halted  outside  the  city  for  three 
days,  and  the  heathen  people  around  brought  them  food, 
which  they  accepted  with  thanks.  After  that  Alexander 
took  the  Book  of  the  Gospels,  and  stood  in  the  way,  and 
cried  :  "  Glory  be  to  God  in  the  Highest,  and  on  earth 
peace,  goodwill  towards  men."  This  was  the  signal  of 
departure,  so  the  whole  moving  monastery  deserted  their 
camp  and  went  towards  Antioch,  where  the  brother  of 
Alexander,  Peter  by  name,  was  superior  of  a  large  monas- 
tery. Alexander  and  one  companion  went  to  the  gate  and 
knocked.  Then  the  porter  looked  forth,  and  said,  "Wait 
without,  till  I  go  to  the  abbot,  and  ask  permission  for  you 
to  enter  and  refresh  yourselves."  But  Alexander  thrust  in 
on  the  heels  of  the  porter,  and  went  after  him  to  the  abbot's 
chamber,  and  there  Peter  knew  him,  and  cast  himself  on 
his  neck.  But  Alexander  said,  "  Our  father  Abraham  went 
forth  himself  to  receive  strangers,  and  invited  them  in,  and 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  exhorted  his  followers  to  show  glad 
hospitality,  but  thou  lettest  a  wayfaring  man  stand  without, 
and  makest  a  favour  of  admitting  him  !"  Then  he  turned, 
and  went  away  in  a  rage,  and  would  not  eat  in  the  mon- 
astery of  his  brother.  And  when  they  would  enter  into 
Antioch,  the  bishop,  Theodotus,  being  prejudiced  against 
Alexander,  ordered  that  he  and  his  monks  should  be  refused 
admission.  So  they  sat  down  all  day  in  the  heat  outside, 
but  rising  up  to  sing  their  psalms  at  midnight,  they  all  went 
forward  chanting,  and  no  man  stayed  them,  through  the 
streets  of  Antioch,  and  they  found  an  old  bath-house,  and 
lodged  there.  Then  the  Bishop  feared  to  disturb  them,  for 
all  the  people  magnified  them.  There  they  stayed  some 
time  and  erected  a  large  hospital,  where  they  cherished  the 
sick  and  the  poor. 

But  one  Malchus,  a  sub-deacon,  who  was  greatly  offended 
with  the  monks,  went  to  the  Bishop,  and  urged  that  they 

4. -* 


232  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ij. 

should  be  expelled.  And  when  he  had  been  given  license, 
he  went  with  all  the  church  sextons  and  drove  the  monks 
from  their  lodgings,  and  he  boxed  Alexander  on  the  ear, 
saying,  "  Go  forth,  thou  rascal  \"  But  Alexander  said 
nothing,  save  that  he  quoted  the  words  of  S.  John,  "  The 
servant's  name  was  Malchus."  (xviii.  10.)  Then  the  Gover- 
nor of  the  city,  finding  that  the  people  would  take  part  with 
the  monks,  and  that  a  tumult  would  be  made,  came  with 
force,  and  drave  the  brethren  without  the  walls.  So  Alex- 
ander and  his  monks  swarmed  off  to  the  Crithenian  mon- 
astery, which  he  had  founded,  and  there  he  saw  that  the 
discipline  was  admirable. 

Thence  he  went  to  Constantinople,  taking  with  him  from 
Crithene  twenty-four  monks,  and  in  all  he  was  now  followed 
by  three  hundred,  and  they  were  Greeks,  and  Romans,  and 
Syrians,  and  he  settled  them  at  Gomon,  on  the  Bosphorus, 
near  Constantinople,  and  divided  them  into  six  choirs,  who 
should  alternately  sing  the  divine  office,  so  that  ceaselessly, 
night  and  day,  the  praises  of  Christ  might  ascend.  Thence 
his  order  was  called  the  Acoemeti,  or  the  Sleepless  Ones,  for, 
in  it,  some  were  ever  watching  for  the  coming  of  the  Bride- 
groom. However,  even  in  Constantinople,  he  was  not  left 
in  peace,  but  the  civil  powers  interfered  and  broke  up  the 
monastery,  and  the  monks  were  imprisoned  and  beaten,  and 
ill-treated  in  divers  ways,  so  that,  for  a  while,  the  incessant 
song  was  interrupted.  But  when  the  persecution  was  over, 
the  monks  flowed  together  again,  and  the  sleepless  vigil  re- 
commenced. 

S.  Alexander  died  and  was  buried  at  Gomon. 


* — * 


January  is.]  S.  John  the  Calybite.  233 

S.   JOHN   THE  CALYBITE,   H. 

(about  450.) 

[Commemorated  on  the  same  day  by  Greeks  and  Latins.  Some  old 
Western  Martyrologies  honoured  him  on  Feb.  27th.  Authority,  his  life  by 
Simeon  Logotheta.1] 

S.  John  the  Calybite  is  the  Eastern  counterpart  of  the 
Western  S.  Alexis.  At  an  early  age  he  met  a  monk  of  the 
Sleepless  Ones,  founded  by  S.  Alexander,  as  mentioned  in 
the  immediately  preceding  life  ;  and  he  was  so  struck  with 
what  he  heard  of  the  religious  life,  that  he  desired  to  enter 
it.  Returning  home,  he  asked  his  parents,  who  were  wealthy, 
to  make  him  a  present  of  the  Holy  Gospels.  They,  sur- 
prised that  the  boy  desired  a  book,  instead  of  some  article 
of  dress  or  of  play,  purchased  him  a  handsomely  illuminated 
and  illustrated  book  of  the  Gospels.  The  boy  read,  "  He 
that  loveth  father  and  mother  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy 
of  me."  Then  he  ran  away  from  home,  and  made  his  way 
to  Gomon,  where  he  entered  the  Sleepless  order.  The 
archimandrite,  or  abbot,  thinking  him  too  young,  objected 
to  receive  him,  but  when  the  boy  persisted,  he  made  him 
undergo  the  discipline  of  the  monks.  He  remained  there, 
however,  six  years,  and  then  a  longing  came  over  him  to  see 
his  father  and  mother  again ;  so  he  told  the  superior,  who 
said,  "  Did  I  not  say  to  thee,  thou  art  too  young.  Go  in 
peace  to  thy  home."*  So  John  left  the  monastery.  But  re- 
turning home,  he  did  not  make  himself  known  to  his  parents, 
but,  changing  clothes  with  a  beggar,  he  crouched  at  the  gate 
of  his  father's  house  and  begged.  Then  his  father  gave  him 
daily  food  from  his  kitchen  ;  but  after  a  while  his  mother, 

1  Bollandus  gives  two  lives;  one  is  authentic,  the  other  is  not.  The  first  states 
that  he  lived  at  Constantinople,  from  which  he  escaped  to  Gomon,  threescore  fur- 
longs from  the  city,  by  water.  The  second,  mistaking  new  Rome  for  old  Rome, 
makes  him  voyage  from  Italy  to  Bithynia. 

* * 


* * 

234  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  15. 


disliking  the  presence  of  a  squalid  beggar  at  the  door,  bade 
the  servants  remove  him  to  a  little  cot,  and  thence  he  took 
his  name  of  Calybite,  or  Cotter.  Three  years  after,  as  he 
was  dying,  he  sent  for  his  mother,  and  revealed  himself  to 
her. 

He  was  buried  beneath  the  hut,  and  his  parents  built  a 
church  over  his  tomb. 

Relics,  in  the  church  dedicated  to  him  at  Rome ;  his 
head  at  Besangon,  in  the  church  of  S.  Stephen. 


S.  MAURUS,  AB.  OF  GLANFEUIL. 
(a.d.  584.) 

[The  life  of  S.  Maurus,  professing  to  be  by  S.  Faustus,  is  not  of  the 
date  it  pretends  to.  It  was  written  by  Odo  of  Glanfeuil  (d.  868);  it  is, 
however,  probable  that  he  used  a  previous  composition  of  S.  Faustus,  monk 
of  Cassino  (d.  620),  amplifying  and  altering  in  style.  Other  authorities 
are  S.  Gregory  the  Great,  Dialog.  II.,  and  a  metrical  life,  falsely  attributed 
to  Paulus  Diaconus.] 

A  nobleman,  named  Eguitius,  gave  his  little  son  Maurus, 
aged  twelve,  to  the  holy  patriarch  Benedict,  to  be  by  him 
educated.  The  youth  surpassed  all  his  fellow  monks  in  the 
discharge  of  his  monastic  duties,  and  when  he  was  grown  up, 
S.  Benedict  made  him  his  coadjutor  in  the  government  of 
Subiaco.  Placidus,  a  fellow-monk,  going  one  day  to  fetch 
water,  fell  into  the  lake,  and  was  carried  about  a  bow-shot 
from  the  bank.  S.  Benedict  seeing  this  from  his  cell,  sent 
Maurus  to  run  and  draw  him  out.  Maurus  obeyed,  walked 
upon  the  water,  without  perceiving  it,  and  pulled  out 
Placidus  by  the  hair,  without  himself  sinking. 

The  fame  of  Benedict  and  his  work  had  not  been  slow  to 
cross  the  frontiers  of  Italy  ;  it  resounded  especially  in  Gaul. 
A  year  before  the  death  of  the  patriarch,  two  envoys  arrived 

* * 


-* 


January  i<;.]  S.    MaUVUS.  2^ 

at  Monte  Cassino,  from  Innocent,  Bishop  of  Mans,  who, 
not  content  with  forty  monasteries  which  had  arisen  during 
his  episcopate  in  the  country  over  which  he  ruled,  still 
desired  to  see  his  diocese  enriched  by  a  colony  formed  by 
the  disciples  of  the  new  head  and  law-giver  of  the  cenobites 
in  Italy.  Benedict  confided  this  mission  to  the  dearest  and 
most  fervent  of  his  disciples,  the  young  deacon  Maurus. 
He  gave  him  four  companions,  one  of  whom,  Faustus,  is 
the  supposed  author  of  the  history  of  the  mission ;  and 
bestowed  on  him  a  copy  of  the  rule,  written  with  his  own 
hand,  together  with  the  weights  for  the  bread,  and  the 
measure  for  the  wine,  which  should  be  allotted  to  each  monk 
every  day,  to  serve  as  unchanging  types  of  that  abstinence 
which  was  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  points  of  the  new 
institution. 

At  the  head  of  this  handful  of  missionaries,  who  went  to 
sow  afar  the  seed  destined  to  produce  so  great  a  harvest, 
Maurus  came  down  from  Monte  Cassino,  crossed  Italy  and 
the  Alps,  paused  beneath  the  precipices  which  overhang  the 
monastery  of  Agaunum  now  S.  Maurice  in  the  Valais, 
beside  the  foaming  Rhone,  which  the  Burgundian  king, 
Sigismund,  had  just  raised  over  the  relics  of  the  Theban 
Legion;  then  went  into  the  Jura  to  visit  the  colonies  01 
Condate.  Arrived  upon  the  banks  of  the  Loire,  and  re- 
pulsed by  the  successor  of  the  Bishop  who  had  called  him, 
he  stopped  in  Anjou,  which  was  then  governed  by  a  vis- 
count called  Floras,  in  the  name  of  Theodebert,  King  of 
Austrasia.  This  viscount  offered  one  of  his  estates  to  the 
disciple  of  Benedict,  that  he  might  establish  his  colony 
there,  besides  giving  one  of  his  sons  to  become  a  monk, 
and  announcing  his  own  intention  of  consecrating  himself 
to  God.  On  this  estate,  bathed  by  the  waters  of  the  Loire, 
Maurus  founded  the  monastery  of  Glanfeuil,  which  afterwards 
took  his  own  name.     The  site  of  this  monastery,  now  lost 


*- 


236  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ij. 


among  the  vineyards  of  Anjou,  merits  the  grateful  glance 
of  every  traveller  who  is  not  insensible  to  the  advantages 
which  flowed  from  that  first  Benedictine  colony  over  the 
whole  of  France. 

The  beloved  son  of  S.  Benedict  spent  forty  years  at  the 
head  of  his  French  colony ;  he  saw  as  many  as  a  hundred 
and  forty  monks  officiate  there ;  and  when  he  died,  after 
having  lived  apart  for  two  years  in  an  isolated  cell,  to  pre- 
pare himself  in  silence  for  appearing  before  God,  he  had 
dropped  into  the  soil  of  Gaul,  a  germ  which  could  neither 
perish  nor  be  exhausted. 

In  art,  S.  Maurus  is  represented  holding  the  weights  and 
measures  given  him  by  S.  Benedict 


S.  CEOLWULF,  K.,  MONK. 

(a.T).  767.) 

[Old  English  Martyrologies  on  March  14th ;  later  ones  on  this  day,  on 
which  he  is  commemorated  in  the  Roman  Calendar.  Authorities  :  Bede, 
Florence  of  Worcester,  William  of  Malmesbury,  Henry  Huntingdon, 
Simeon  of  Durham,  &c] 

Bede  dedicated  his  "History  of  the  English"  to  Ceol- 
wulf,  King  of  Northumbria,  whose  tender  solicitude  for 
monastic  interests  made  the  monk  of  Jarrow  look  to  him  as 
a  patron.  Ceolwulf  was  of  the  race  of  Ida  the  Burner ; 
after  two  obscure  reigns,  Ceolwulf  was  called  to  the  throne, 
and  vainly  attempted  to  struggle  against  the  disorder  and 
decay  of  his  country.  He  was  vanquished  and  made 
captive  by  enemies  whose  names  are  not  recorded,  and  was 
shut  up  in  a  convent.  He  escaped,  however,  regained  the 
crown,  and  reigned  for  some  time  in  a  manner  which 
gained  the  applause  of  Bede.  But  after  a  reign  of  eight 
years,  a  regret,  or  an  unconquerable  desire  for  that  mon- 


-* 


*- 


January  ij.] 


S.  Ceolwulf. 


237 


-* 


astic  life  which  had  been  formerly  forced  upon  him  against 
his  will,  seized  him.  He  made  the  best  provisions  possible 
for  the  security  of  his  country,  and  for  a  good  understand- 
ing between  the  spiritual  and  temporal  authorities,  nominat- 
ing as  his  successor  a  worthy  prince  of  his  race.  Then, 
giving  up  the  cares  of  power,  and  showing  himself  truly  the 
master  of  the  wealth  he  resigned,  he  cut  his  long  beard,  had 
his  head  shaved  in  the  form  of  a  crown,  and  retired  to  bury 
himself  anew  in  the  holy  island  of  Lindisfarne,  in  the 
monastery  beaten  by  the  winds  and  waves  of  the  northern 
sea.  There  he  passed  the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life  in 
study  and  happiness.  He  had,  while  king,  enriched  this 
monastery  with  many  great  gifts,  and  obtained  permission 
for  the  use  of  wine  and  beer  for  the  monks,  who,  up  to  that 
time,  according  to  the  rigid  rule  of  ancient  Keltic  disci- 
pline, had  been  allowed  no  beverage  but  water  and  milk. 


*■• 


•* 


-* 


238  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  16. 


January  16. 

S.  Pkiscilla,  Matron,  at  Rome,  zst  cent. 

S.  Marcellus,  Pope,  M.,  at  Rome,  circ.  a.d.  309. 

S.  Melas,  B.  C,  at  Rhinoclusa,  4th  cent. 

S.  Honoratus,  B.  C,  0/ Aries,  circ.  a.d.  430. 

S.  James,  B.  C,  of  the  Tarantaise,  5th  cent. 

S.  Valerius,  B.  C,  of  Sorrente,  circ.  a.d.  600. 

S.  Tatian,  B.  C,  at  Undcrzo,  in  Italy,  -jth  cent. 

S.  Fursey,  Ab.,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  653. 

S.  Toss  A,  B.  C,  of  Augsburg;,  a.d.  661. 

S.  Henry,  H.,  in  Northumberland,  a.d.  1127. 

SS.  Franciscan-  Martyrs,  in  Mauritania,  a.d.  122a 

S.  PRISC1LLA,  MATRON,  AT  ROME. 

(iST   CENT.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  This  Priscilla  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the 
wife  of  Aquila  (Acts  xviii.  26.)  She  was  the  mother  of  S.  Pudens  (2  Tim. 
iv.  21),  who  was  the  father  of  SS.  Praxedes  and  Pudentiana,  the  guests  and 
disciples  of  S.  Peter.     Nothing  more  is  known  of  her.] 


S.  MARCELLUS,  POPE,  M. 

(ABOUT   A.D.    309.) 

[The  Greeks  have  confounded  Marcellus  with  his  predecessor,  Marcel- 
linus,  who  is  commemorated  on  April  26th.  Roman  Martyrology,  that  of 
Bede,  Ado,  Notker,  &c.     The  Acts  are  not  to  be  trusted.] 

[AINT  MARCELLUS  succeeded  Pope  Marcel- 

linus,  in  308,  after  the  see  had  been  vacant  for 

three  years  and  a  half.     An  epitaph  written  on 

him  by   Pope  Damasus,  says  that  by  enforcing 

the  penitential  canons,  he  drew  on  himself  the  hostility  of 

lukewarm  Christians.     For  his  severity  to  an   apostate  he 

was  exiled  by  the  tyrant  Maxentius. 

* ■ * 


* . £, 

January  i6.]  S.     MelaS.  239 

Relics,  in  the  church  of  S.  Marcellus  at  Rome ;   also  at 
Mons  and  Namur,  in  Belgium. 


S.  MELAS,  B.  C.  OF  RHINOCLUSA. 

(4TH   CENT.) 
[Roman  and  German  Martyrologies.     Authority  for  his  life,  Sozomen.] 

Rhinoclusa,  or  Rinocorurus,  was  near  the  river  of 
Egypt,  dividing  Egypt  from  Palestine;  of  this  city  and 
monastic  settlement  S.  Melas  was  Bishop.  Sozomen,  in  his 
Ecclesiastical  History,  gives  the  following  account  of  him 
(lib.  vi.  c.  31) : — 

"  Rinocorurus  was  celebrated  at  this  period,  on  account 
of  the  holy  men  who  were  born  and  flourished  there.  I 
have  heard  that  the  most  eminent  among  them  were  Melas, 
the  Bishop  of  the  country ;  Denis  and  Solon,  the  brothers 
and  successors  of  Melas.  When  the  decree  went  forth  for 
the  ejection  of  all  bishops  opposed  to  Arianism,  the  officers 
appointed  to  execute  the  mandate  found  Melas  engaged  in 
trimming  the  lights  of  the  church,  and  clad  in  an  old  cloak 
soiled  with  oil,  fastened  by  a  girdle.  When  they  asked  him 
for  the  Bishop,  he  replied  that  he  was  within,  and  that  he 
would  conduct  them  to  him.  As  they  were  fatigued  with 
their  journey,  he  led  them  to  the  episcopal  dwelling,  made 
them  sit  down  at  his  table,  and  placed  before  them  such 
things  as  he  had.  After  the  repast,  he  supplied  them  with 
water  to  wash  their  hands,  and  then  told  them  who  he  was. 
Amazed  at  his  conduct,  they  confessed  the  mission  on  which 
they  had  arrived ;  but,  from  respect  to  him,  gave  him  full 
liberty  to  go  wherever  he  would.  He,  however,  replied 
that  he  would  not  shrink  from  the  sufferings  to  which  the 
other  bishops,  who  maintained  the  same  sentiments  as  him- 

* ■ — * 


240  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  16. 

self,  were  exposed,  and  that  he  was  ready  to  go  into  exile. 
He  had  been  accustomed,  from  his  youth  up,  to  practise  all 
the  virtues  of  asceticism.  The  Church  of  Rinocorurus, 
having  been  thus,  from  the  beginning,  under  the  guidance 
of  such  exemplary  bishops,  never  afterwards  swerved  from 
their  doctrine.  The  clergy  of  this  Church  dwell  in  one 
house,  sit  at  the  same  table,  and  have  all  things  in 
common." 


S.  HONORATUS,  B.  OF  ARLES. 
(about  a.d.  430.) 

[Honoratus,  in  French  Honore\  is  commemorated  in  almost  all  the 
Western  Kalendars.  His  life  by  his  kinsman  and  successor,  S.  Hilary. 
Another  life  of  him  is  apocryphal.  "  A  tissue,''  says  Bollandus,  "  of  fables 
and  crazes;''  "which,"  says  Baronius,  "  cannot  be  read  without  nausea, 
except  by  those  with  iron  stomachs,  and  wits  covered  with  the  rust  of 
ignorance."  This  life,  therefore,  must  be  completely  put  aside,  as  worth- 
less, and  we  must  draw  all  our  information  from  that  by  S.  Hilary,  Bishop 
of  Aries.] 

The  sailor  who  proceeds  from  the  roadstead  of  Toulon 
towards  Italy  or  the  East,  passes  among  two  or  three 
islands,  rocky  and  dry,  surmounted  here  and  there  by  a 
slender  cluster  of  pines.  He  looks  at  them  with  indiffer- 
ence, and  avoids  them.  However,  one  of  these  islands  has 
been,  for  the  soul  and  for  the  mind,  a  centre  purer  and  more 
fertile  than  any  famous  isle  of  the  Greek  sea.  It  is  Lerins, 
formerly  occupied  by  a  city,  which  was  already  ruined  in 
the  time  of  Pliny,  and  where,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
fifth  century,  nothing  more  was  to  be  seen  than  a  desert 
coast,  rendered  unapproachable  by  the  number  of  serpents 
which  swarmed  there. 

In  410  a  man  landed  and  remained  there;  he  was  called 
Honoratus.     Descended   from   a   consular   race,    educated 

* — * 


S.    HONOR]':.     After  Cahier. 


Jan.,  p.  240.] 


[Jan.  16. 


* — * 

Januarys.]  ,&     HoTtOTatUS.  2\\ 

and  eloquent,  but  devoted  from  his  youth  to  great  piety ;  he 
desired  to  be  made  a  monk.  His  father  charged  his  eldest 
brother,  a  gay  and  impetuous  young  man,  to  turn  him  from 
the  ascetic  life ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  he  who  gained 
his  brother.  After  many  difficulties,  he  at  last  found  repose 
at  Lerins;  the  serpents  yielded  the  place  to  him;  a  multitude 
of  disciples  gathered  round  him.  A  community  of  austere 
monks  and  indefatigable  labourers  was  formed  there.  The 
face  of  the  isle  was  changed,  the  desert  became  a  paradise; 
a  country  bordered  with  deep  woods,  watered  by  streams, 
rich  with  verdure,  enamelled  with  flowers,  revealed  the  fer- 
tilizing presence  of  a  new  race.  Honoratus,  whose  fine  face 
was  radiant  with  a  sweet  and  attractive  majesty,1  opened  the 
arms  of  his  love  to  the  sons  of  all  countries  who  desired  to 
love  Christ.  A  multitude  of  disciples  of  all  nations  joined 
him. 

There  is,  perhaps,  nothing  more  touching  in  monastic 
annals  than  the  picture  traced  by  S.  Hilary,  one  of  the  most 
illustrious  sons  of  Lerins,  of  the  paternal  tenderness  of 
Honoratus  for  the  numerous  family  of  monks  whom  he 
had  collected  round  him.  He  could  reach  the  depths  of 
their  souls  to  discover  all  their  griefs.  He  neglected  no 
effort  to  banish  every  sadness,  every  painful  recollection  of 
the  world.  He  watched  their  sleep,  their  health,  their  food, 
their  labours,  that  each  might  serve  God  according  to  the 
measure  of  his  strength.  Thus  he  inspired  them  with  a 
love  more  than  filial.  "  In  him,"  they  said,  "  we  find  not 
only  a  father,  but  an  entire  family,  a  country,  the  whole 
world."  When  he  wrote  to  any  of  those  who  were  absent, 
they  said,  on  receiving  his  letter,  written  according  to  the 
usage  of  the  time,  upon  tablets  of  wax,  "  It  is  honey 
which  he  has  poured  back  into  that  wax,  honey  drawn  from 
the  inexhaustible  sweetness  of  his  heart." 

1  S.  Eucher,  De  laude  Eremi,  p.  34a. 

VOL.  I.  16 

* * 


* ^ 

f 

242  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  16. 


In  that  island  paradise,  and  under  the  care  of  such  a 
shepherd,  the  perfume  of  life  breathed  everywhere.  These 
monks,  who  had  sought  happiness  by  renouncing  secular 
life,  felt  and  proclaimed  that  they  had  found  it ;  to  see  their 
serene  and  modest  joy,  their  union,  their  gentleness,  and 
their  firm  hope,  one  would  have  believed  one's  self,  says 
S.  Eucher,  in  the  presence  of  a  battalion  of  angels  at  rest.1 
How  S.  Honoratus  converted  S.  Hilary  by  his  prayers,  as 
told  by  S.  Hilary  himself,  shall  be  related  when  we  speak 
of  that  Saint.  Honoratus  was,  by  compulsion,  made  to 
assume  the  direction  of  the  see  of  Aries,  and  was  conse- 
crated Bishop  in  426.  He  died  in  the  arms  of  S.  Hilary, 
who  succeeded  him  in  429. 

Relics,  at  S.  Honore',  formerly  Lerins. 

In  art,  he  appears  expelling  serpents  from  the  isle  with 
his  staff. 


S.  JAMES,  B.  OF  THE  TARANTAISE. 

(5TH    CENT.) 

[Authority  for  his  life,  a  fragmentary  life  of  uncertain  date,  published  by 
Rollandus.] 

James,  of  Asiatic  origin,  and  a  soldier,  was  one  of  the 
first  disciples  of  S.  Honoratus  in  his  monastic  settlement  at 
Lerins.  When  S.  Honoratus  was  appointed  Archbishop  of 
Aries,  he  called  James  to  be  the  first  Bishop  of  the  Taran- 
taise,  the  valleys  of  the  Isere  and  Arc,  of  which  Moutiers 
is  the  modern  capital,  between  the  Graian  and  Pennine 
Alps.  S.  James  made  Centronum,  or  Moutiers,  the  seat 
of  the  bishopric,  and  there  he  laboured  to  convert  the 
people  still  buried  in  heathenism.  Of  him  is  related  a  story 
very  similar  to  that  told  of  other  Saints,  viz.,  that  as  his 

1  So  far  Montalembcrt's  Monks  of  the  West,  Vol.  I.,  Book  III. 


-* 


January  16.J  S.    FuTSey.  243 

monks  were  cutting  down  trees  in  the  forest,  for  the  con- 
struction of  his  cathedral  church,  a  bear  killed  one  of  the 
oxen  which  drew  the  timber.  Then  the  monks  fled  in  con- 
sternation to  S.  James,  who  went  boldly  to  the  bear  and 
said,  "I,  James,  the  servant  of  Christ,  command  thee,  cruel 
beast,  to  bow  thy  stubborn  neck  to  the  yoke,  in  place  of 
the  ox  thou  hast  slain."  Then  the  bear  was  obedient,  and 
drew  the  timber  to  the  church. 

S.  James  is  also  said  to  have  taken  an  ass's  load  of  pure 
snow  of  the  mountain  in  mid-summer,  as  a  tribute  to 
Gondecar,  King  of  the  Burgundians,  having  nothing  else  to 
offer,  when  the  king  had  ordered  a  tax  to  be  levied  on 
all  the  produce  of  the  land. 


S.   FURSEY,  AB. 

(ABOUT   A.D.    653.) 

[Roman,  Donegal,  and  Scottish  Martyrologies,  but  English  on  March 
4th  ;  Feb.  25th  is  noted  in  several  Kalendars  as  the  festival  of  the  trans- 
lation of  his  relics,  also  Sept.  28.  A  very  ancient  life  of  S.  Fursey,  of 
the  date  of  Bede,  exists ;  later  and  more  prolix  lives  exist,  but  are  of 
less  authority.  Bede  himself  relates  the  principal  events  of  the  life  of 
this  Saint  in  his  history,  and  quotes  the  above-mentioned  life,  lib.  iii. 
c.  19.] 

Fursey,  son  of  Fintan,  an  Irish  prince,  was  abbot  of  a 
monastery  in  the  diocese  of  Tuam.  Afterwards,  travelling 
with  two  of  his  brothers,  Fullan  and  Ultan,  through  Eng- 
land, he  entered  the  province  of  Essex,  and  was  honourably 
received  by  the  king,  Sigebert,  "  and  performing  his  usual 
employment  of  preaching  the  Gospel,"  says  Bede,  "  by  the 
example  of  his  virtue,  and  the  efficacy  of  his  discourse,  he 
converted  many  unbelievers  to  Christ,  and  confirmed  in 
faith  and  love  those  that  already  believed.  Here  he  fell 
into  some  infirmity  of  body,  and  was  thought  worthy  to  see 


* * 

244  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ,6. 

a  vision  from  God ;  in  which  he  was  admonished  diligently 
to  proceed  in  the  ministry  of  the  Word,  and  indefatigably  to 
continue  his  usual  vigils  and  prayers.  Being  confirmed  by 
this  vision,  he  applied  himself  with  all  speed  to  build  a 
monastery  on  the  ground  which  had  been  given  him  by 
King  Sigebert,  and  to  establish  regular  discipline  therein. 
The  monastery  was  pleasantly  situated  in  the  woods,  and 
with  the  sea  not  far  off;  it  was  built  within  the  area  of 
a  castle  called  Cnobheresburg  (Burghcastle,  in  Suffolk.) 
There,  falling  sick,  he  fell  into  a  trance,  and  quitting  his 
body  from  evening  till  cock-crow,  he  was  found  worthy  to 
behold  the  choirs  of  angels,  and  to  hear  the  praises  which 
are  sung  in  heaven." 

The  abbot  Fursey,  becoming  desirous  of  ridding  himself 
of  all  business  of  this  world,  quitted  his  monastery,  having 
first  confided  the  care  of  it  to  his  brother  Fullan ;  and 
resolved  to  end  his  life  as  a  hermit.  He  repaired  to  his 
brother  Ultan,  who  had  already  adopted  the  life  of  a 
solitary,  and  lived  a  whole  year  with  him  in  prayer  and 
hard  labour. 

Afterwards,  the  province  being  desolated  by  war,  he 
crossed  the  sea  to  France,  and  was  there  honourably  enter- 
tained by  Clovis,  King  of  the  Franks,  and  then  by  the  noble 
Erconwald.  He  built  a  monastery  at  Lagny,  about  six 
miles  north  of  Paris,  on  the  Marne,  and  falling  sick  not 
long  after,  departed  this  life. 

P^rconwald  took  his  body,  and  deposited  it  in  the  porch 
of  a  church  he  was  building  in  his  town  of  Peronne,  till 
the  church  itself  should  be  dedicated.  This  happened 
twenty-seven  days  after,  and  the  body  being  taken  from  the 
porch  to  be  re-buried,  near  the  altar,  was  found  as  entire  as 
if  he  had  but  just  died. 

Fursey  in  Fretich  is  Fourcy,  and  in  Flemish  Fro. 

Patron  of  Lagny  and  Peronne. 

* * 


January  i6.]  S.     Henry.  2^ 

Relics,  at  Peronne. 

In  art,  (i),  with  oxen  at  his  feet,  because  his  body  was 
placed  on  a  wagon,  and  the  oxen  allowed  to  conduct  it 
without  guide,  and  they  went  to  Peronne ;  or  (2),  making  a 
fountain  spring  up  at  Lagny,  by  thrusting  his  staff  into  the 
soil ;  or  beholding  a  vision,  (3),  of  angels,  or  (4),  of  the 
flames  of  purgatory  and  hell,  in  reference  to  his  remarkable 
vision.1 


S.  HENRY,  H.  IN  NORTHUMBERLAND. 
(a.d.  1 127.) 

[English  Martyrologies.     His  life  in  Capgrave.] 

S.  Henry  was  of  Danish  origin.  Leaving  his  parents 
and  wife,  he  resolved  to  serve  God  in  solitude,  and  escaped 
to  Coquet  Island,  off  the  coast  of  Northumberland.  His 
relatives  came  after  him,  urging  him  to  return  to  his  home ; 
then,  in  an  agony  of  doubt,  he  cast  himself  before  his 
crucifix,  and  implored  God  to  reveal  to  him  what  was  His 
will.  Then  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  Saviour  said  to  him, 
"Abide  here,  play  the  man,  and  strengthen  thine  heart  to 
resist.     I  have  called  thee  in  mine  eternal  purpose." 

So  he  remained,  and  laboured  in  the  islet,  and  a  few 
brethren  joined  him,  but  lived  in  separate  cells.  And  when 
he  died,  they  heard  the  bell  of  his  little  hovel  ring  violently, 
so  they  ran,  and  found  him  dead,  with  the  bell  rope  in  his 
hand,  and  the  candle  by  his  side  was  alight. 

His  body  was  taken  to  Tynemouth,  and  was  buried  in 
the  church  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  near  that  of  S.  Oswin. 

1  There  is  not  space  to  give  an  account  of  S.  Fursey's  vision,  which  seems  to 
have  been  the  original  of  Dante's  Divina  Commedia. 


-* 


*- 


246  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u»nuary  >t- 


January  17. 

SS.  Brethren,  Speusippus,  Ei.eusippus,  Mei.eusippus,  and  Companions, 

MM.  in  Cappadocia. 
S.  Genulph,  B.  in  France,  3rd cent. 
S.  Antony  the  Great,  Ab.  in  Egypt,  a.d.  356. 
S.  Sahine,  B.  of Piacenza,  in  Italy,  t,th  cent. 
S.  Ninn,  Ab.  in  Ulster,  Ireland,  6th  cent. 
S.  Sulpicius,  B.  of  Bourses,  in  France,  tire.  a.d.  647. 
S.  Mildgytha,  V.  in  Kent,  circ.  a.d.  730. 
S.  Ricmer,  Ab.  at  Le  Mans,  in  France,  circ.  A.D.  700. 

SS.  SPEUSIPPUS,  ELEUSIPPUS,  MELEUSIPPUS, 
LEONILLA,  JONILLA,  NEO  AND  TURBO, 
MM. 

(date  uncertain.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  Greek  Menaea.  The  relics  of  these  Saints 
having  been  moved  to  Langres,  in  France,  they  are  sometimes  called 
Martyrs  of  Langres,  and  are  supposed  to  have  suffered  there  ;  but  this  is 
a  mistake.  A  copy  of  the  Acts  of  their  martyrdom  was  sent  from  Langres 
by  one  Varnahair  to  S.  Ceraunus,  Bishop  of  Paris,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  7th  century.  The  original  Acts  are  said  to  have  been  written  by 
SS.  Neo  and  Turbo,  but  they  have  not  come  down  to  us  without  manifest 
corruption  and  interpolation.] 

f^ESj^jSPEUSIPPUS,  Eleusippus,  and  Meleusippus  were 
Ijfc^iSiffljrtj  three  sons  at  a  birth  of  a  believing  mother  and  a 
l^Mj^I  heathen  father.  They  were  instructed  in  the 
,Rfe>*»«rai  Christian  faith  by  their  aunt,  Leonilla,  and  then, 
in  boyish  enthusiasm,  they  rushed  from  her  knee,  where  they 
had  been  taught,  to  demolish  the  idols  in  the  temples  of  the 
city  they  inhabited.  They  were  taken  and  burnt  in  one  pyre, 
and  received  the  baptism  of  blood.  Jonilla,  a  woman  stand- 
ing by,  with  her  little  babe  in  her  arms,  cried  out,  "  I  also 
am  a  Christian,  I  believe  in  Christ,  my  God  and  my  King." 
Then  the  judge  ordered  her  hands  to  be  bound  behind  her 
back,  and  that  she  should  be  hung  by  her  hair.     Her  hus- 


-* 


* — * 

January  17.]  S.     Geftulpk.  2^ 

band,  horrified  at  the  sentence,  implored  her  to  save  her  life 
for  his  sake  and  that  of  the  babe ;  but  she  answered,  "  True, 
that  I  gave  life  to  this  dear  little  one,  but  it  is  true  also  that  I 
owe  my  life  to  God,  and  I  cannot  set  God  after  my  child." 
Leonilla,  the  aunt  of  the  brothers,  was  executed.  Then  Neo, 
who  wrote  these  Acts,  closing  his  tablets,  in  which  he 
had  inscribed  what  had  taken  place,  gave  them  to  his  col- 
league, Turbo,  and  ran  to  the  image  of  Nemesis,  and  cast  it 
down,  and  stamped  on  the  marble  fragments.  And  when 
the  guardians  of  the  temple  saw  this,  they  seized  him  and 
beat  and  stoned  him  till  he  yielded  up  his  soul  to  God. 
"  Turbo  also,  who  wrote  the  victories  of  these  confessors,  not 
long  afterwards  suffered  martyrdom."  With  these  words  the 
Acts  close. 

These  saintly  brothers  are  called  in  France  Les  SS. 
Jaumes,  that  is  to  say  Gemelli,  for  Tergemini ;  sometimes 
Geaunus. 


S.  GENULPH,   B.  C. 

(3RD  CENT.) 

[Commemorated  on  this  day  at  Cahors,  of  which  diocese  he  is  regarded 
as  the  Apostle  and  first  Bishop.  He  is  however  mentioned  in  several  Mar- 
tyrologies  as  Bishop  of  Bourges.  It  is  probable  that  he  was  a  missionary 
Bishop  without  settled  see.  Called  in  the  Roman  Martyrology,  June  17th, 
Gundulph ;  same  day  and  name  the  same  in  the  Bourges  Breviary,  that  being 
the  day  of  his  translation,  Jan.  17th,  of  his  death.  His  life  was  written  by 
S.  Sebastus,  three  years  after  the  death  of  S.  Genulph,  but  this  has  not 
come  down  to  us  in  its  original  form.  It  has,  however,  doubtless  formed 
the  basis  of  a  life  written  about  A.D.  910,  published  by  Bollandus.] 

Genitus  and  his  wife,  Aclia,  were  pious  Christians  at 
Rome,  serving  God  constantly,  night  and  day,  and  happy 
in  one  another's  love.  But  one  thing  they  lacked  which 
grieved   them   sore,   they   had    no   child.      Having   asked 

* g, 


* * 

248  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i». 

God  to  look  upon  them  and  give  them  a  son,  He  heard 
their  prayer,  and  the  wife  of  Genitus  brought  forth  a  man- 
child,  and  they  called  him  Genulph,  or  Gundulph.  At  the 
age  of  five,  the  parents  gave  him  to  S.  Sixtus,  Bishop  of 
Rome,  to  educate  him  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Decian  persecution,  S.  Sixtus 
ordained  Genulph  bishop,  bade  him  and  his  father  go  into 
Gaul,  and  preach  the  Gospel  there.  S.  Genulph  ever  wore 
a  garment  of  camel's  hair,  "  except  when  he  celebrated  the 
Holy  Mysteries,  when  he  was  arrayed  in  soft  linen,  and  such 
other  shining  vestments  as  pertain  to  so  great  a  mystery. 
But  when  the  mystery  was  celebrated,  he  put  on  him  again 
the  rough  garb."1  Having  entered  the  territory  of  the 
Cadurci,  now  called  Cahors,  he  preached  the  word  of  God 
vehemently,  and  wrought  many  miracles  of  healing.  Then  he 
and  his  father  were  denounced  to  the  Governor,  and  were 
beaten  and  scorched  with  fire,  but  remained  constant  to 
the  faith,  witnessing  a  good  profession,  so  that  the  Governor 
marvelled,  and  questioned  them  about  their  faith,  and  so 
was  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  and  he  released 
the  confessors  from  prison,  and  they  preached  boldly,  and 
multitudes  came  and  were  baptized ;  so  mightily  grew  the 
word  of  God  and  prevailed.  And  afterwards  he  left  Cahors, 
and  went  north,  till  he  came  to  the  country  of  the  Biturigcs, 
or  Berry,  and  there  he  took  up  his  residence  in  a  haunted 
cell,  which  all  the  people  of  the  neighbourhood  avoided, 
through  fear.  But  Genulph  sprinkled  it  with  holy  water, 
and  signed  himself  with  the  cross,  and  boldly  took  up  his 
residence  therein,  nor  was  he  troubled  by  evil  spirits. 
Living  in  this  cell,  he  laboured  diligently  with  his  hands, 
cultivating  the  soil,  and  keeping  very  many  cocks  and 
hens.  The  fame  of  his  sanctity  drew  others  to  him,  and 
he  became  the  head  of   a   community.      Also  many  sick 

1  Vita,  ex  iluobus  vtturibus  MSS.,  Holland.  II.  p.  83 
* ■ ■ " * 


__ * 

January  if.]  S.    AfltOTty.  2^ 

came  there  to  be  nursed,  and  the  peasants  to  be  instructed. 
Then  Genulph  fed  them  with  the  eggs,  and  with  the  hens, 
which  he  killed  and  roasted.  One  day  a  fox  came,  and 
carried  off  a  hen.  Hearing  the  noise  in  the  poultry  yard, 
Genulph  ran  out,  and  saw  the  fox  stealing  away  with  his 
prey.  Then  he  cried,  "  Reynard  !  that  hen  is  not  thine. 
Wherefore  dost  thou  rob  the  poor  brothers,  who  have  not 
injured  thee?"     And  the  fox  let  go  the  hen  unhurt. 

When  he  was  dying,  he  exhorted  the  brethren  to  wrap 
him  in  sackcloth  and  bury  him  outside  the  church,  "  for 
it  seemed  to  him  unfitting  that  the  prey  of  worms  and  cor- 
ruption should  be  placed  within  the  holy  tabernacle." 


S.  ANTONY  THE  GREAT,  AB. 
(a.d.  356.) 

[S.  Antony  is  famous  in  the  East  as  in  the  West,  and  is  named  in  all 
Kalendars.  His  life  was  written  by  S.  Athanasius,  and  is  quite  genuine. 
S.  Antony  is  also  spoken  of  at  length  by  Sozomen,  Socrates,  S.  Jerome, 
Ruffinus,  Theodoret,  Evagrius,  &c.  The  following  account  is  a  condensed 
translation  of  the  life  of  the  great  patriarch  of  monks,  by  S.  Athanasius. 
It  is  necessarily  very  much  abbreviated.] 

Antony  was  an  Egyptian  by  race,  born  of  noble 
parents,1  who  had  a  sufficient  property  of  their  own :  and 
as  they  were  Christians,  he  too  was  Christianly  brought  up, 
and  when  a  boy  was  nourished  in  the  house  of  his  parents, 
besides  whom  and  his  home  he  knew  nought.  But  when 
he  grew  older,  he  would  not  be  taught  letters,2  not  wishing 
to  mix  with  other  boys ;  but  all  his  longing  was  (according 
to  what  is  written  of  Jacob)  to  dwell  simply  in  his  own 
house.     But  when  his  parents  took  him  into  the  Lord's 

1  He   is  said   to  have  been  born  at  Coma,  near  Heracleia,    in  Middle  Egypt, 

A.I).  251. 

1  Seemingly  the  Greek  language  and  literature. 
^ * 


£t _ >j, 

250  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  17. 

house  he  was  not  saucy,  as  a  boy,  nor  inattentive  as  he 
grew  older ;  but  was  subject  to  his  parents,  and  attentive  to 
what  was  read,  turning  it  to  his  own  account.     Nor,  again, 
did  he  trouble  his  parents  for  various  and  expensive  dainties ; 
but  was  content  with  what  he  found,  and  asked  for  nothing 
more.      When  his  parents  died,  he  was  left  alone  with  a 
little  sister,  when  he  was  about  eighteen  or  twenty  years  of 
age,  and  he  took  care  both  of  his  house  and  of  her.     But 
not  six  months  after  their  death,  as  he  was  going  as  usual  to 
the  Lord's  house,  and  collecting  his  thoughts,  he  meditated, 
as  he  walked,  how  the  Apostles  had  left  all  and  followed  the 
Saviour ;  and  how  those  in  the  Acts  brought  the  price  of 
what  they  had  sold,  and  laid  it  at  the  Apostles'  feet,  to  be 
given  away  to  the  poor ;  and  what,  and  how  great,  a  hope 
was  laid  up  for  them  in  heaven.      With  this  in  his  mind  he 
entered  the  church.    And  it  befell  then  that  the  Gospel  was 
being  read ;  and  he  heard  how  the  Lord  had  said  to  the  rich 
man,  "  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go,  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and 
give  to  the  poor ;  and  come,  follow  me,  and  thou  shalt  have 
treasure  in  heaven."  Antony,  therefore,  as  if  the  remembrance 
of  the  saints  had  come  to  him  from  God,  and  as  if  the 
lesson  had  been  read  on  his  account,   went  forth  at  once 
from  the  Lord's  house,  and  gave  away  to  those  of  his  own 
village  the  possessions  he  had  inherited  from  his  ancestors 
(three  hundred  plough-lands,  fertile  and  very  fair),  that  they 
might  give  no  trouble  either  to  him  or  his  sister.     All  his 
moveables   he   sold,    and   a   considerable    sum   which   he 
received  for  them  he  gave  to  the  poor.     But  having  kept 
back  a  little  for  his  sister,  when  he  went  again  into  the 
Lord's   house,    he   heard  the   Lord  saying  in  the  Gospel, 
"  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow ;"  and,  unable  to  endure 
any  more  delay,  he  went  out  and  distributed  that  too  to  the 
needy.     And  having  committed  his  sister  to  known  and  faith- 
ful virgins,  and  given  to  her  wherewith  to  be  educated  in  a 

* * 


* * 

January  i».]  S.    Afltony.  25 1 

nunnery,  he  himself  thenceforth  devoted  himself,  outside 
his  house,  to  training  \  taking  heed  to  himself,  and  using 
himself  severely.  For  monasteries  were  not  then  common 
in  Egypt,  nor  did  any  monks  know  the  wide  desert;  but 
each,  who  wished  to  take  heed  to  himself,  exercised  himselr 
alone,  not  far  from  his  own  village.  There  was  then,  in  the 
next  village,  an  old  man  who  had  trained  himself  in  a 
solitary  life  from  his  youth.  When  Antony  saw  him,  he 
emulated  him  in  that  which  is  noble.  And  first  he  began 
to  stay  outside  the  village ;  and  then,  if  he  heard  of  any 
earnest  man,  he  went  to  seek  him,  and  did  not  return  till  he 
had  seen  him.  So  dwelling  there  at  first,  he  settled  his  mind 
neither  to  look  back  towards  his  parents'  wealth  nor  to 
recollect  his  relations ;  but  he  put  all  his  longing  and  all  his 
earnestness  on  training  himself  more  intensely.  For  the 
rest  he  worked  with  his  hands,  because  he  had  heard,  "  If 
any  man  will  not  work,  neither  let  him  eat;"  and  of  his 
earnings  he  spent  some  on  himself  and  some  on  the  needy. 
He  prayed  continually,  because  he  knew  that  one  ought  to 
pray  secretly,  without  ceasing.  He  attended  also  so  much 
to  what  was  read,  that  with  him  none  of  the  Scriptures  fell 
to  the  ground,  but  he  retained  them  all,  and  for  the  future 
his  memory  served  him  instead  of  books.  Behaving  thus, 
Antony  was  beloved  by  all;  and  submitted  truly  to  the 
earnest  men  to  whom  he  used  to  go.  And  from  each  of 
them  he  learnt  some  improvement  in  his  earnestness  and 
his  training  :  he  contemplated  the  courtesy  of  one,  and 
another's  assiduity  in  prayer;  another's  freedom  from 
anger ;  another's  love  of  mankind :  he  took  heed  to 
one  as  he  watched ;  to  another  as  he  studied :  one  he 
admired  for  his  endurance,  another  for  his  fasting  and 
sleeping  on  the  ground;  he  laid  to  heart  the  meekness  of 
one,  and  the  long-suffering  of  another ;  and  stamped  upon 
his  memory  the  devotion  to  Christ  and  the  mutual  love 

* ■ — * 


* . % 

252  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i>. 

which  all  in  common  possessed.     And  thus  filled  full,  he 
returned  to  his  own  place  of  training,  gathering  to  himself 
what  he  had  got  from  each,  and  striving  to  show  all  their 
qualities  in  himself.     He  never  emulated  those  of  his  own 
age,  save  in  what  is  best ;  and  did  that  so  as  to  pain  no 
one,  but  make  all  rejoice  over  him.     And  all  in  the  village 
who  loved  good,  seeing  him  thus,  called  him  the  friend  of 
God ;  and  some  embraced  him  as  a  son,  some  as  a  brother. 
But  the  devil,  who  hates  and  envies  what  is  noble,  would 
not   endure   such   a   purpose   in   a  youth  :  but  attempted 
against  him  all  that  he  is  wont  to  do  ;  suggesting  to  him  the 
remembrance  of  his  wealth,  care  for  his  sister,  relation  to 
his   kindred,  love  of  money,  love  of  glory,    the   various 
pleasures  of  luxury,  and  the  other  solaces  of  life ;  and  then 
the  harshness  of  virtue,  and  its  great  toil ;  and  the  weakness 
of  his  body,  and  the  length  of  time ;  and  altogether  raised 
a  great  dust-cloud  of  arguments  in  his  mind,  trying  to  turn 
him  back  from  his  righteous  choice.     But  when  the  enemy 
saw  himself  to   be  too   weak  for  Antony's  determination, 
then  he  attacked  him  with  the  temptations  which  he  is  wont 
to  use  against  young  men  ;  but  Antony  protected  his  body 
with  faith,  prayers,  and  fastings.     At  last,  when  the  evil  one 
could  not  overthrow  Antony  even  thus,  as  if  beside  himself, 
he  appeared  to  the  sight  as  a  black  child,  and  falling  down  be- 
fore him,  no  longer  tempted  him  to  argue,  but  using  a  human 
voice,    said,    "  I    have  deceived  many ;  I  have  cast  down 
many.    But  now  I  have  been  worsted  in  the  battle."    Then, 
when  Antony  asked  him,  "  Who  art  thou  who  speakest  thus 
to  me  ?"  he  forthwith  replied  in  a  pitiable  voice,  "  I  am  the 
spirit  of  impurity." 

This  was  Antony's  first  struggle  against  the  devil :  01 
rather  this  mighty  deed  in  him  was  the  Saviour's,  who  con- 
demned sin  in  the  flesh  that  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord 
should  be  fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but 

* ■ £, 


S.    ANTHONY   TORTURED    BY   DEMONS. 
From  the  Design  by  Martin  Sehonguer. 


Jan. ,  p.  252.] 


[Jan.  17 


* 

January  if.]  S.     AfttOfiy.  253 

after  the  Spirit.  But  neither  did  Antony,  because  the  evil 
one  had  fallen,  grow  careless  and  despise  him;  neither  did  the 
enemy,  when  worsted  by  him,  cease  from  lying  in  ambush 
against  him.  Antony  ate  once  a  day,  after  the  setting  of 
the  sun,  and  sometimes  only  once  in  two  days,  often  even 
in  four ;  his  food  was  bread  with  salt,  his  drink  nothing  but 
water.  When  he  slept  he  was  content  with  a  rush-mat ;  but 
mostly  he  lay  on  the  bare  ground.  He  would  not  anoint 
himself  with  oil,  saying  that  it  was  more  fit  for  young  men  to 
be  earnest  in  training  than  to  seek  things  which  softened 
the  body ;  and  that  they  must  accustom  themselves  to 
labour.  So  forgetting  the  past,  he  daily,  as  if  beginning 
afresh,  took  more  pains  to  improve,  saying  over  to  himself 
continually  the  Apostle's  words,  "Forgetting  what  is  behind, 
stretching  forward  to  what  is  before."  Antony  then  went  to 
the  tombs,  which  happened  to  be  some  way  from  the 
village  ;  and  having  bidden  one  of  his  acquaintances  bring 
him  bread  at  intervals  of  many  days,  he  entered  one  of  the 
tombs,  and,  shutting  the  door  upon  himself,  remained  there 
alone.  But  Satan,  terrified  lest  in  a  little  while  he  should  fill 
the  desert  with  his  training,  coming  one  night  with  a  multi- 
tude of  daemons,  beat  him  so  much  with  stripes  that  he  lay 
speechless  from  the  torture.  But  by  the  providence  of  God, 
the  next  day  his  acquaintance  came,  bringing  him  the  loaves. 
And  having  opened  the  door,  and  seeing  him  lying  on  the 
ground  for  dead,  he  carried  him  to  the  Lord's  house  in  the 
village,  and  laid  him  on  the  ground ;  and  many  of  his  kins- 
folk and  the  villagers  sat  round  him,  as  round  a  corpse. 
But  about  midnight,  Antony  coming  to  himself,  and  waking 
up,  saw  them  all  sleeping,  and  only  his  acquaintance  awake, 
and,  nodding  to  him  to  approach,  begged  him  to  carry  him 
back  to  the  tomb,  without  waking  any  one.  When  that  was 
done,  the  door  was  shut,  and  he  remained  as  before,  alone 
inside.      And  because  he  could  not  stand  on  account  of  the 

* ■ — * 


%, __ * 

254  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

daemon's  blows,  he  prayed  prostrate.  And  after  his  prayer, 
he  said  with  a  shout,  "  Here  am  I,  Antony :  I  do  not  fly 
from  your  stripes;  yea,  do  your  worst,  nothing  shall  separate 
me  from  the  love  of  Christ."  And  then  he  sang,  "  Though 
an  host  were  laid  against  me,  yet  shall  not  my  heart  be  afraid." 
So  then,  in  the  night,  the  devils  made  such  a  crash,  that  the 
whole  place  seemed  shaken,  and  the  daemons,  as  if  break- 
ing in  the  four  walls  of  the  room,  seemed  to  enter  through 
them,  changing  themselves  into  the  shapes  of  beasts  and 
creeping  things ;  and  the  place  was  forthwith  filled  with 
shapes  of  lions,  bears,  leopards,  bulls  and  snakes,  asps, 
scorpions  and  wolves,  and  each  of  them  moved  according 
to  his  own  fashion.  The  lion  roared,  longing  to  attack ;  the 
bull  seemed  to  toss ;  the  serpent  writhed,  and  the  wolf 
rushed  upon  him ;  and  altogether  the  noises  of  all  the 
apparitions  were  dreadful.  But  Antony  lay  unshaken  and 
awake  in  spirit.  He  groaned  at  the  pain  of  his  body  :  but 
clear  in  intellect,  and  as  it  were  mocking,  he  said,  "If  there 
were  any  power  in  you,  it  were  enough  that  one  of  you 
should  come  on ;  but  since  the  Lord  has  made  you  weak, 
therefore  you  try  to  frighten  me  by  mere  numbers.  And  a 
proof  of  your  weakness  is,  that  you  imitate  the  shapes  of 
brute  animals."  And  taking  courage,  he  said  again,  "  If  ye 
can,  and  have  received  power  against  me,  delay  not,  but 
attack  ;  but  if  ye  cannot,  why  do  ye  disturb  me  in  vain  ? 
For  a  seal  to  us  and  a  wall  of  safety  is  our  faith  in  the 
Lord."  The  devils,  having  made  many  efforts,  gnashed  their 
teeth  at  him,  because  he  rather  mocked  at  them  than  they 
at  him.  But  neither  then  did  the  Lord  forget  Antony's 
wrestling,  but  appeared  to  help  him.  For,  looking  up,  he 
saw  the  roof  as  it  were  opened,  and  a  ray  of  light  coming 
down  towards  him.  The  devils  suddenly  became  invisible, 
and  the  pain  of  his  body  forthwith  ceased,  and  the  building 
became  quite  whole.     But  Antony,  feeling  the  succour,  and 


* g, 

January  17.]  S.     AntOfiy.  2^ 

getting  his  breath  again,  and  freed  from  pain,  questioned  the 
vision  which  appeared,  saying,  "Where  wert  thou?  Why- 
didst  thou  not  appear  to  me  from  the  first,  to  stop  my 
pangs  ?"  And  a  voice  came  to  him,  "  Antony,  I  was  here, 
but  I  waited  to  see  thy  fight  Therefore,  since  thou  hast 
withstood,  and  hast  not  been  worsted,  I  will  be  to  thee 
always  a  succour,  and  will  make  thee  become  famous  every- 
where." Hearing  this,  he  rose  and  prayed,  and  was  so 
strong,  that  he  felt  that  he  had  more  power  in  his  body  than 
he  had  before.  He  was  then  about  thirty-and-five  years  old. 
And  on  the  morrow  he  went  out,  and  was  yet  more  eager 
for  devotion  to  God ;  and,  going  to  that  old  man  aforesaid, 
he  asked  him  to  dwell  with  him  in  the  desert.  But  when 
he  declined,  because  of  his  age,  and  because  no  such 
custom  had  yet  arisen,  he  himself  straightway  set  off  to  the 
mountain.  But  the  fiend  cast  in  his  way  a  great  silver  plate. 
But  Antony,  perceiving  the  trick  of  him  who  hates  what  is 
noble,  stopped.  And  he  judged  the  plate  worthless ;  and 
said,  "Whence  comes  a  plate  in  the  desert?  This  is  no 
beaten  way.  Had  it  fallen,  it  could  not  have  been  unper- 
ceived,  from  its  great  size ;  and  besides,  he  who  lost  it  would 
have  turned  back  and  found  it,  because  the  place  is  desert. 
This  is  a  trick  of  the  devil.  Thou  shalt  not  hinder,  devil,  my 
determination  by  this :  let  it  go  with  thee  into  perdition." 
Then  again  he  saw  gold  lying  in  the  way  as  he  came  up. 
Antony,  wondering  at  the  abundance  of  it,  stepped  over  it 
and  never  turned,  but  ran  on  in  haste,  until  he  had  lost 
sight  of  the  place.  And  growing  even  more  and  more 
intense  in  his  determination,  he  rushed  up  the  mountain, 
and  finding  an  empty  enclosure  full  of  creeping  things,  on 
account  of  its  age,  he  dwelt  in  it.  The  creeping  things 
straightway  left  the  place  :  but  he  blocked  up  the  entry, 
having  taken  with  him  loaves  for  six  months  (for  the 
Thebans  do  this,  and  they  often  remain  a  whole  year  fresh), 

* — * 


* * 

256  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  17. 

and  having  water  with  him,  entering,  as  into  a  sanctuary,  he 
remained  alone,  never  going  forth,  and  never  looking  at  any 
one  who  came.  Thus  he  passed  a  long  time  there  training 
himself,  and  only  twice  a  year  received  loaves,  let  down 
from  above  through  the  roof.  But  those  of  his  acquaintance 
who  came  to  him,  as  they  often  remained  days  and  nights 
outside  (for  he  did  not  allow  any  one  to  enter),  used  to  hear 
as  it  were  crowds  inside  clamouring,  thundering,  lamenting, 
crying,  "  Depart  from  our  ground.  What  dost  thou  even 
in  the  desert  ?  Thou  canst  not  abide  our  onset."  At  first 
those  without  thought  that  there  were  some  men  fighting 
with  him,  and  that  they  had  got  in  by  ladders  :  but  when, 
peeping  in  through  a  crack,  they  saw  no  one,  then  they  took 
for  granted  that  they  were  devils.  His  acquaintances  came 
up  continually,  expecting  to  find  him  dead,  and  heard  him 
singing,  "  Let  God  arise,  and  let  his  enemies  be  scattered ; 
let  them  also  that  hate  Him  flee  before  Him.  Like  as  the 
wax  melteth  at  the  fire,  so  let  the  ungodly  perish  at  the 
presence  of  God."  And  again,  "All  nations  compassed  me 
round  about,  but  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  will  I  destroy  them." 
He  endured  this  for  twenty  years,  training  himself  alone  ; 
neither  going  forth,  nor  being  seen  by  any  one  for  long 
periods  of  time.  But  after  this,  when  many  longed  for  him, 
and  wished  to  imitate  his  training,  and  others  who  knew  him 
came,  and  would  have  burst  in  the  door  by  force,  Antony 
came  forth,  as  from  some  inner  shrine,  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  of  God.  And  when  they  saw  him  they  wondered  ; 
for  his  body  had  neither  grown  fat,  nor  waxed  lean  from 
fasting,  but  he  was  just  such  as  they  had  known  him  before 
his  retirement.  They  wondered  again  at  the  purity  of  his 
soul,  because  it  was  neither  contracted,  as  if  by  grief,  nor  re- 
laxed by  pleasure,  nor  possessed  by  laughter  or  by  depres- 
sion ;  for  he  was  neither  troubled  at  beholding  the  crowd, 
nor  over-joyful  at  being  saluted  by  too  many;  but  was  alto- 

*  — * 


*- 


-* 


January  if.]  ^     AfltOHy.  2$*] 

gether  equal,  as  being  governed  by  reason,  and  standing  on 
that  which  is  according  to  nature.  Many  sufferers  in  body, 
who  were  present,  did  the  Lord  heal  by  him.  And  He 
gave  to  Antony  grace  in  speaking,  so  that  he  comforted 
many  who  grieved,  and  reconciled  others  who  were  at 
variance,  exhorting  all  to  prefer  nothing  in  the  world  to  the 
love  of  Christ,  and  persuading  and  exhorting  them  to  be 
mindful  of  the  good  things  to  come,  and  of  the  love  of  God 
towards  us,  who  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him 
up  for  us  all.  He  persuaded  many  to  choose  the  solitary 
life ;  and  so,  thenceforth,  cells  sprang  up  in  the  mountains, 
and  the  desert  was  colonized  by  monks. 

But  when  he  returned  to  the  cell,  he  persisted  in  the 
noble  labours  of  his  youth ;  and  by  continued  exhortations  he 
increased  the  willingness  of  those  who  were  already  monks, 
and  stirred  to  love  of  training  the  greater  number  of  the  rest ; 
and  quickly,  as  his  speech  drew  men  on,  the  cells  became 
more  numerous ;  and  he  governed  them  all  as  a  father. 

The  cells  in  the  mountains  were  like  tents  filled  with 
divine  choirs,  singing,  discoursing,  fasting,  praying,  rejoicing 
over  the  hope  of  the  future,  working  that  they  might  give 
alms  thereof,  and  having  love  and  concord  with  each  other. 
And  there  was  really  to  be  seen,  as  it  were,  a  land  by  itself, 
of  piety  and  justice;  for  there  was  none  there  who  did 
wrong,  or  suffered  wrong ;  but  a  multitude  of  men  training 
themselves,  and  in  all  of  them  a  mind  set  on  virtue. 

After  these  things,  the  persecution  which  happened  under 
the  Maximinus  of  that  time,1  laid  hold  of  the  Church  ;  and 
when  the  holy  martyrs  were  brought  to  Alexandria,  Antony 

1  A.D.  301.  Galerius  Valerius  Maximinus  (his  real  name  was  Daza)  had  been  a 
shepherd-!aa  in  Illyria,  like  his  uncle  Galerius  Valerius  Maximianus  ;  and  rose, 
like  him,  through  the  various  grades  of  the  army  to  be  co-Emperor  of  Rome,  over 
Syria,  Egypt,  and  Asia  Minor ;  a  furious  persecutor  of  the  Christians,  and  a  brutal 
and  profligate  tyrant.  Such  were  the  "kings  of  the  world"  from  whom  those  old 
monks  fled. 

VOL.    I.                                                                                                            17 
^ * 


*r . — _>J, 

258  LiveS  Of  the  SaintS.  [January  17. 

too  followed,  leaving  his  cell,  and  saying,  "  Let  us  depart 
too,  that  we  may  wrestle  if  we  be  called,  or  see  them 
wrestling."  And  he  longed  to  be  a  martyr  himself,  but,  not 
choosing  to  give  himself  up,  he  ministered  to  the  confessors 
in  the  mines,  and  in  the  prisons.  And  he  was  very  earnest 
in  the  judgment-hall  to  excite  the  readiness  of  those  who 
were  called  upon  to  wrestle;  and  to  receive  and  bring  on 
their  way,  till  they  were  perfected,  those  of  them  who  went 
to  martyrdom.  At  last  the  judge,  seeing  the  fearlessness 
and  earnestness  of  him  and  those  who  were  with  him,  com- 
manded that  none  of  the  monks  should  appear  in  the  judg- 
ment-hall, or  haunt  at  all  in  the  city.  So  all  the  rest  thought 
good  to  hide  themselves  that  day ;  but  Antony  cared  so  little 
for  the  order,  that  he  washed  his  cloak,  and  stood  next  day 
upon  a  high  place,  and  appeared  to  the  Governor  in  shining 
white.  Therefore,  when  all  the  rest  wondered,  and  the 
Governor  saw  him,  and  passed  by  with  his  array,  he  stood 
fearless.  He  himself  prayed  to  be  a  martyr,  and  was  like 
one  grieved,  because  he  had  not  borne  his  witness.  But  the 
Lord  was  preserving  him  for  our  benefit,  and  that  of  the 
rest,  that  he  might  become  a  teacher  to  many  in  the  training 
which  he  had  learnt  from  Scripture.  For  many,  when  they 
only  saw  his  manner  of  life,  were  eager  to  emulate  it.  So  he 
again  ministered  continually  to  the  confessors;  and,  as  if 
bound  with  them,  wearied  himself  in  his  services.  And 
when  at  last  the  persecution  ceased,  and  the  blessed  Bishop 
Peter  had  been  martyred,  he  left  the  city,  and  went  back  to 
his  cell.  And  he  was  there,  day  by  day,  a  martyr  in  his 
conscience,  and  wrestling  in  the  conflict  of  faith  ;  for  he  im- 
posed on  himself  a  much  more  severe  training  than  before; 
and  his  garment  was  within  of  hair,  without  ot  skin,  which 
he  kept  till  his  end. 

When,  then,  he  retired,  and  had  resolved  neither  to  go 
forth  himself,  nor  to  receive  any  one,  one  Martinian,   a 

* * 


*- 


-* 


January  i7.]  »£.     AfttOfty.  2^ 

captain  of  soldiers,  came  and  gave  trouble  to  Antony.  For 
he  had  with  him  his  daughter,  who  was  possessed  by  a 
devil.  And  while  he  remained  a  long  time  knocking  at  the 
door,  and  expecting  him  to  come  to  pray  to  God  for  the 
child,  Antony  could  not  bear  to  open,  but  leaning  from 
above,  said,  "  Man,  why  criest  thou  to  me  ?  I,  too,  am  a 
man,  as  thou  art  But  if  thou  believest,  pray  to  God,  and 
it  shall  come  to  pass."  Forthwith,  therefore,  he  believed, 
and  called  on  Christ ;  and  went  away,  his  daughter  made 
whole.  Most  of  the  sufferers,  when  he  did  not  open 
the  door,  sat  down  outside  the  cell,  and  praying,  were 
cleansed.  But  when  he  saw  himself  troubled  by  many, 
and  not  being  permitted  to  retire,  as  he  wished,  being  afraid 
lest  he  himself  should  be  puffed  up  by  what  the  Lord  was 
doing  by  him,  or  lest  others  should  count  of  him  above  what 
he  was,  he  resolved  to  go  to  the  Upper  Thebaid,  to  those 
who  knew  him  not.  And,  in  fact,  having  taken  loaves  from 
the  brethren,  he  sat  down  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  watching 
for  a  boat  to  pass,  that  he  might  embark  and  go  up  in  it. 
And  as  he  watched,  a  voice  came  to  him  :  "  Antony, 
whither  art  thou  going,  and  why?"  And  he,  not  terrified, 
but  as  one  accustomed  to  be  often  called  thus,  answered 
when  he  heard  it,  "  Because  the  crowds  will  not  let  me  be 
at  rest;  therefore  am  I  minded  to  go  up  to  the  Upper 
Thebaid,  on  account  of  the  many  annoyances  which  befall 
me ;  and  above  all,  because  they  ask  of  me  things  beyond 
my  strength."  And  the  voice  said  to  him,  "  Even  if  thou 
goest  up  to  the  Thebaid,  even  if,  as  thou  art  minded  to  do, 
thou  goest  down  to  the  cattle  pastures,1  thou  wilt  have  to 
endure  more ;  but  if  thou  wilt  really  be  at  rest,  go  now 
into  the  inner  desert."  And  when  Antony  said,  "  Who  will 
show  me   the  way,  for  I  have  not  tried  it  ?"  forthwith  he 

1  The  lonely  alluvial  flats  at  the  mouths  of  the  Nile.      "  Below  the  cliffs,  beside 
the  sea,"  as  one  describes  them. 


*- 


-* 


* * 

2  60  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i». 

was  shown  Saracens  who  were  going  to  journey  that  road. 
So,  going  to  them,  and  drawing  near  them,  Antony  asked 
leave  to  depart  with  them  into  the  desert  They  willingly 
received  him;  and,  journeying  three  days  and  three  nights 
with  them,  he  came  to  a  very  high  mountain;1  and  there 
was  water  under  the  mountain,  clear,  sweet,  and  very  cold, 
and  a  plain  outside  ;  and  a  few  neglected  date-palms.  Then 
Antony,  as  if  stirred  by  God,  loved  the  spot.  Having  re- 
ceived bread  from  those  who  journeyed  with  him,  he 
remained  alone  in  the  mount,  no  one  else  being  with  him. 
For  he  recognized  that  place  as  his  own  home,  and  kept  it 
thenceforth.  And  the  Saracens  themselves  seeing  Antony's 
readiness,  came  that  way  on  purpose,  and  joyfully  brought 
him  loaves ;  and  he  had,  too,  the  solace  of  the  dates,  which 
were  then  small  and  paltry.  But  after  this,  the  brethren, 
having  found  out  the  spot,  like  children  remembering  their 
father,  were  anxious  to  send  things  to  him ;  but  Antony  saw 
that,  in  bringing  him  bread,  some  were  put  to  trouble  and 
fatigue ;  so  he  asked  some  who  came  to  him  to  bring  him  a 
hoe  and  a  hatchet,  and  a  little  corn  ;  and  when  these  were 
brought,  having  gone  over  the  land  round  the  mountain,  he 
found  a  very  narrow  place  which  was  suitable,  and  tilled  it ; 
and,  having  plenty  of  water  to  irrigate  it,  he  sowed ;  and, 
doing  this  year  by  year,  he  got  his  bread  from  thence,  re- 
joicing that  he  should  be  burdensome  to  no  one  on  that 
account.  But  after  this,  seeing  again  some  people  coming, 
he  planted  also  a  very  few  pot-herbs,  that  he  who  came 
might  have  some  small  solace,  after  the  labour  of  that  hard 
journey,  At  first,  however,  the  wild  beasts  in  the  desert, 
coming  on  account  of  the  water,  often  hurt  his  crops  and 
his  tillage ;  but  he,  gently  laying  hold  of  one  of  them,  said 
to  them  all,  "  Why  do  you  hurt  me,  who  have  not  hurt  you  ? 


1  Now  the  monastery  of  Deir  Antonios,  over  the  Wady  el  Arabah,  between  the 
Nile  and  the  Red  Sea,  where  Antony's  monks  endure  to  this  day. 


*- 


■* 


*■ * 

January  i-.]  S.     Afltony.  26 1 

Depart,  and,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  never  come  near  this 
place."  And  from  that  time  forward,  as  if  they  were  afraid 
of  his  command,  they  never  came  near  the  place.  So  he 
was  there  alone  in  the  inner  mountain,  having  leisure  for 
prayer  and  for  training.  But  the  brethren  who  ministered 
to  him  asked  him  that  they  might  bring  him  olives,  and 
pulse,  and  oil  every  month ;  for,  after  all,  he  was  old. 

Being  once  asked  by  the  monks  to  come  down  to  them, 
and  to  visit  them  and  their  places,  he  journeyed  with  the 
monks  who  came  for  him.  A  camel  carried  their  loaves  and 
their  water,  for  that  desert  is  all  dry,  and  there  is  no  drink- 
able water  except  in  that  mountain  where  his  cell  is.  But 
when  the  water  failed  on  the  journey,  and  the  heat  was  most 
intense,  they  all  began  to  be  in  danger;  for  finding  no  water, 
they  could  walk  no  more,  but  lay  down  on  the  ground,  and 
they  let  the  camel  go,  and  gave  themselves  up.  Then  the 
old  man,  seeing  them  in  danger,  was  grieved,  and  departing 
a  little  way  from  them,  he  bent  his  knees,  and  stretching  out 
his  hands,  he  prayed,  and  forthwith  the  Lord  caused  water 
to  come  out  where  he  had  stopped  and  prayed.  Thus  all 
of  them  drinking,  took  breath  again ;  and  having  filled  their 
skins,  they  sought  the  camel,  and  found  her ;  for  it  befell 
that  the  halter  had  been  twisted  round  a  stone,  and  thus 
she  had  been  stopped.  So,  having  brought  her  back,  and 
given  her  to  drink,  they  put  the  skins  on  her,  and  went 
through  their  journey  unharmed.  And  when  they  came  to 
the  outer  cells,  all  embraced  him,  looking  on  him  as  a 
father.  And  there  was  joy  again  in  the  mountains,  and 
comfort  through  their  faith  in  each  other.  And  he  too 
rejoiced,  seeing  the  willingness  of  the  monks,  and  his  sister 
grown  old  in  maidenhood,  and  herself  the  leader  of  other 
virgins.  And  so,  after  certain  days,  he  went  back  again  to 
his  own  mountain. 

And  after  that  many  came   to  him;   and   others,    who 

* ■ ft 


262  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u»°u«y  »?• 

suffered,  dared  also  to  come.  Now  to  all  the  monks  who 
came  to  him  he  gave  continually  this  command  :  To  trust 
in  the  Lord  and  love  Him,  and  to  keep  themselves  from 
foul  thoughts  and  fleshly  pleasures ;  and  not  to  be  deceived 
by  fulness  of  bread ;  and  to  avoid  vainglory ;  and  to  pray 
continually ;  and  to  sing  before  sleep  and  after  sleep ;  and  to 
lay  by  in  their  hearts  the  commandments  of  Scripture;  and  to 
remember  the  works  of  the  Saints,  in  order  to  have  their 
souls  attuned  to  emulate  them.  But  especially  he  coun- 
selled them  to  meditate  continually  on  the  Apostle's  saying, 
"  Let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your  wrath  ;"  and  this  he 
said  was  spoken  of  all  commandments  in  common,  in  order 
that,  not  on  wrath  alone,  but  on  every  other  sin,  the  sun 
should  never  go  down  ;  for  it  was  noble  and  necessary  that 
the  sun  should  never  condemn  us  for  a  baseness  by  day, 
nor  the  moon  for  a  sin  or  even  a  thought  by  night ;  there- 
fore, in  order  that  that  which  is  noble  may  be  preserved  in 
us,  it  was  good  to  hear  and  to  keep  what  the  Apostle  com- 
manded :  for  he  said,  "  Judge  yourselves,  and  prove  your- 
selves." Let  each  then  take  account  with  himself,  day  by 
day,  of  his  daily  and  nightly  deeds  ;  and  if  he  has  not 
sinned,  let  him  not  boast,  but  let  him  endure  in  what  is 
good  and  not  be  negligent,  neither  condemn  his  neighbour, 
neither  justify  himself  until  the  Lord  comes  who  searches 
secret  things.  For  we  often  deceive  ourselves  in  what  we 
do.  Giving  therefore  the  judgment  to  Him,  let  us  sympa- 
thize with  each  other  ;  and  let  us  bear  each  other's  burdens, 
and  examine  ourselves  ;  and  what  we  are  behind  In,  let  us 
be  eager  to  fill  up.  And  let  this,  too,  be  our  counsel 
for  safety  against  sinning.  Let  us  each  note  and  write 
down  the  deeds  and  motions  of  the  soul  as  if  we  were 
about  to  relate  them  to  another;  and  be  confident  that 
as  we  shall  be  utterly  ashamed  that  they  should  be 
known,  we  shall  cease  from  sinning,  and  even  from  desir- 

*- £ 


* * 

January^.]  S.     AlltOliy.  263 

ing  anything  mean.  As  therefore,  when  in  each  other's 
sight  we  dare  not  commit  a  crime,  so  if  we  write  down 
our  thoughts,  and  confess  them,  we  shall  keep  ourselves 
the  more  from  foul  thoughts,  for  shame  lest  they  should 
be  known.  And  thus  forming  ourselves  we  shall  be  able 
to  bring  the  body  into  slavery,  and  please  the  Lord  on 
the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  trample  on  the  snares  of  the 
enemy.  This  was  his  exhortation  to  those  who  met  him  : 
but  with  those  who  suffered  he  suffered,  and  prayed  with 
them.  And  those  who  suffered  he  exhorted  to  keep  up 
heart,  and  to  know  that  the  power  of  cure  was  none  of  his, 
nor  of  any  man's ;  but  only  belonged  to  God,  who  works 
when  and  whatsoever  He  chooses.  So  the  sufferers  received 
this  as  a  remedy,  learning  not  to  despise  the  old  man's 
words,  but  rather  to  keep  up  heart ;  and  those  who  were 
cured,  learned  not  to  bless  Antony,  but  God  alone. 

But  when  two  brethren  were  coming  to  him,  and  water 
failed  them  on  the  journey,  one  of  them  died,  and  the  other 
was  about  to  die.  In  fact,  being  no  longer  able  to  walk,  he 
too  lay  upon  the  ground  expecting  death.  But  Antony,  as 
he  sat  on  the  mountain,  called  two  monks  who  happened  to 
be  there,  and  hastened  them,  saying,  "  Take  a  pitcher  of 
water,  and  run  on  the  road  towards  Egypt ;  for  of  two  who 
are  coming  hither  one  has  just  expired,  and  the  other  will 
do  so  if  you  do  not  hasten.  For  this  has  been  showed  to 
me  as  I  prayed."  So  the  monks,  going,  found  the  one  lying 
dead,  and  buried  him ;  and  the  other  they  recovered  with 
the  water,  and  brought  him  to  the  old  man.  Now  the 
distance  was  a  day's  journey.  But  this  alone  in  Antony 
was  wonderful,  that  sitting  on  the  mountain  he  kept  his 
heart  watchful,  and  the  Lord  showed  him  things  afar  off. 

And  concerning  those  who  came  to  him,  he  often  pre- 
dicted some  days,  or  even  a  month,  beforehand,  and  the 
cause  why  they  were  coming.      For  some  came  only  to  see 


*- _ % 

264  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  17. 

him,  and  others  on  account  of  sickness,  and  all  thought  the 
labour  of  the  journey  no  trouble,  for  each  went  back  aware 
that  he  had  been  benefited. 

But  how  tolerant  was  his  temper,  and  how  humble  his 
spirit !  for  though  he  was  so  great,  he  wished  to  put  every 
ecclesiastic  before  himself  in  honour.  For  to  the  bishops 
and  priests  he  bowed  his  head;  and  if  a  deacon  came  to 
him,  he  discoursed  with  him  on  what  was  profitable,  but  in 
prayer  he  gave  place  to  him.  He  often  asked  questions, 
and  deigned  to  listen  to  all  present,  confessing  that  he  was 
profited  if  any  one  said  aught  that  was  useful.  Moreover, 
his  countenance  had  great  and  wonderful  grace;  and  this 
gift  too  he  had  from  the  Saviour.  For  if  he  was  present 
among  the  multitude  of  monks,  and  any  one  who  did  not 
previously  know  him  wished  to  see  him,  as  soon  as  he  came, 
he  passed  by  all  the  rest,  and  ran  to  Antony  himself,  as  if 
attracted  by  his  eyes.  He  did  not  differ  from  the  rest  in 
stature  or  in  stoutness,  but  in  the  steadiness  of  his  temper, 
and  the  purity  of  his  soul ;  for  as  his  soul  was  undisturbed, 
his  outward  senses  were  undisturbed  likewise,  so  that  the 
cheerfulness  of  his  soul  made  his  face  cheerful.  And  he 
was  altogether  wonderful  in  faith,  and  pious,  for  he  never 
communicated  with  the  Meletian1  schismatics,  knowing  their 
malice  and  apostasy  from  the  beginning ;  nor  did  he  con- 
verse amicably  with  Manichaeans  or  any  other  heretics,  save 
only  to  exhort  them  to  be  converted  to  piety.  For  he  held 
that  their  friendship  and  converse  was  injury  and  ruin  to  the 
soul.  So  also  he  detested  the  heresy  of  the  Arians,  and 
exhorted  all  not  to  approach  them,  nor  hold  their  misbelief.2 

1  Melctius,  IVishop  of  Lycopolis,  was  the  author  of  an  obscure  schism  calling  itseli 
the  "Church  of  the  Martyrs,"  which  refused  to  communicate  with  the  rest  of  the 
Eastern  Church, 

*  Arius  (whose  most  famous  and  successful  opponent  was  Athanasius,  the  writer 
of  this  biography)  maintained  that  the  Son  of  God  was  not  co-equal  and  co-eternal 
with  the  Father,  but  created  by  Him  out  of  nothing,  and  before  the  world.  His 
opinions  were  condemned  in  the  famous  Council  of  Nica:a>  a.d.  32$. 

* % 


* $1 

January  i J.]  S.    AfltOHy.  265 

Being  sent  for  by  the  bishops  and  all  the  brethren,  he  went 
down  from  the  mountain,  and  entering  Alexandria,  he  de 
nounced  the  Arians,  teaching  the  people  that  the  Son  of 
God  was  not  a  created  thing,  but  that  He  is  the  Eternal 
Word  and  Wisdom  of  the  Essence  of  the  Father.  Where- 
fore he  said,  "  Do  not  have  any  communication  with  these 
most  impious  Arians ;  for  there  is  no  communion  between 
light  and  darkness.  For  you  are  pious  Christians  :  but  they, 
when  they  say  that  the  Son  of  God,  who  is  from  the 
Father,  is  a  created  being,  differ  nought  from  the  heathen, 
because  they  worship  the  creature  instead  of  the  Creator. 
All  the  people  therefore  rejoiced  at  hearing  that  heresy 
anathematized  by  such  a  man;  and  all  those  in  the  city 
ran  together  to  see  Antony;  and  the  Greeks,1  and  those 
who  are  called  their  priests,  came  into  the  church,  wishing  to 
see  the  man  of  God.  And  many  heathens  wished  to  touch 
the  old  man,  believing  that  it  would  be  of  use  to  them ;  and 
in  fact  as  many  became  Christians  in  those  few  days  as 
would  have  been  usually  converted  in  a  year.  And  when 
some  thought  that  the  crowd  troubled  him,  he  quietly  said 
that  they  were  not  more  numerous  than  the  fiends  with 
whom  he  wrestled  on  the  mountain.  But  when  he  left  the 
city,  and  we  were  setting  him  on  his  journey,  when  we  came 
to  the  gate,  a  certain  woman  called  to  him  :  "  Wait,  man  of 
God,  my  daughter  is  grievously  vexed  with  a  devil ;  wait, 
I  beseech  thee,  lest  I  too  harm  myself  with  running  after 
thee."  The  old  man  hearing  it,  and  being  asked  by  us, 
waited  willingly.  But  when  the  woman  drew  near,  the  child 
dashed  itself  on  the  ground  ;  and  when  Antony  prayed  and 
called  on  the  name  of  Christ,  it  rose  up  sound,  the  unclean 
spirit  having  gone  out ;  and  the  mother  blessed  God,  and  we 
all  gave  thanks  :  and  he  himself  rejoiced  at  leaving  the  city 
for  the  mountain,  as  for  his  own  home. 

1  /./.  those  were  still  heathens. 
%< $r 


* — * 

266  Lives  of  the  Saints.  (January  17. 

Now  he  was  very  prudent;  and  what  was  wonderful, 
though  he  had  never  learnt  letters,  he  was  a  shrewd  and 
understanding  man. 

When  some  philosophers  met  hii  1  in  the  outer  mountain, 
and  thought  to  mock  him,  because  he  had  not  learnt  letters, 
Antony  answered,  "  Which  is  first,  the  sense  or  the  letters  ? 
And,  which  is  the  cause  of  the  other,  the  sense  of  the 
letters,  or  the  letters  of  the  sense  ?"  And  when  they  said 
that  the  sense  came  first,  Antony  replied,  "If  then  the 
sense  be  sound,  the  letters  are  not  needed."  So  they  went 
away  wondering,  when  they  saw  so  much  understanding  in 
an  unlearned  man.  For  though  he  had  lived,  and  grown 
old,  in  the  mountain,  his  manners  were  not  rustic,  but 
graceful  and  courteous  ;  and  his  speech  was  seasoned  with 
the  divine  salt. 

The  fame  of  Antony  reached  even  the  kings,  for  Con- 
stantine,  and  his  sons,  Constantius  and  Constans,  hearing 
of  these  things,  wrote  to  him  as  to  a  father,  and  begged  to 
receive  an  answer  from  him.     But  he  did  not  make  much  of 
the  letters,  nor  was  puffed  up  by  their  messages;  and  he  was 
just  the  same  as  he  was  before  the  kings  wrote  to  him.    And 
he  called  his  monks  and  said,  "  Wonder  not  if  a  king  writes 
to  us,  for  he  is  but  a  man  :  but  wonder  rather  that  God  has 
written  His  law  to  man,  and  spoken  to  us  by  His  own  Son." 
So  he  declined  to  receive  their  letters,  saying  he  did  not 
know  how  to  write  an  answer  to  such  things ;  but  being  ad- 
monished by  the  monks  that  the  kings  were  Christians,  and 
that  they  must  not  be  scandalized  by  being  despised,  he 
permitted   the  letters    to  be  read,  and   wrote   an  answer; 
accepting  them  because  they  worshipped  Christ,  and  coun- 
selling them,  for  their  salvation,  not  to  think  the  present  life 
great,  but  rather  to  remember  judgment  to  come ;  and  to 
know  that  Christ  was  the  only  true  and  eternal  king ;  and 
he  begged  them  to  be  merciful   to  men,   and  to  think  of 

4f J£ 


-* 


January  17.]  £.     Afltony.  267 

justice  and  the  poor.  And  they,  when  they  received  the 
answer,  rejoiced.  Thus  was  he  kindly  towards  all,  and  all 
looked  on  him  as  their  father.  He  then  betook  himself 
again  into  the  inner  mountain,  and  continued  his  accus- 
tomed training.  But  often,  when  he  was  sitting  and  walking 
with  those  who  came  unto  him,  he  was  astounded,  as  is 
written  in  Daniel.  And  after  the  space  of  an  hour,  he  told 
what  had  befallen  to  the  brethren  who  were  with  him,  and 
they  perceived  that  he  had  seen  some  vision.  Often  he  saw 
in  the  mountain  what  was  happening  in  Egypt,  and  once  he 
told  what  he  had  seen,  to  Serapion  the  Bishop,  who  saw 
him  occupied  with  a  vision.  For  as  he  sat,  he  fell  as  it 
were  into  an  ecstasy,  and  groaned  much  at  what  he  saw. 
Then,  after  an  hour,  turning  to  those  who  were  with  him,  he 
fell  into  a  trembling,  and  rose  up  and  prayed,  and  bending 
his  knees,  remained  so  a  long  while ;  and  then  the  old  man 
rose  up  and  wept.  The  bystanders,  therefore,  trembling 
and  altogether  terrified,  asked  him  to  tell  them  what  had 
happened,  and  they  tormented  him  so  much,  that  he  was 
forced  to  speak.  And  he  groaning  greatly — "  Ah  !  my 
children,"  he  said,  "it  were  better  to  be  dead  than  to  live 
and  behold  the  things  that  I  have  seen  shall  come  to  pass." 
And  when  they  asked  him  again,  he  said  with  tears,  that 
"  Wrath  will  seize  on  the  Church,  and  she  will  be  given  over 
to  men  like  unto  brutes,  which  have  no  understanding ;  for 
I  saw  the  table  of  the  Lord's  house,  and  mules  standing  all 
around  it  in  a  ring  and  kicking  inwards,  as  a  herd  does  when 
it  leaps  in  confusion ;  and  ye  all  perceived  how  I  groaned, 
for  I  heard  a  voice  saying,  '  My  sanctuary  shall  be  defiled.' " 
This  the  old  man  saw,  and  after  two  years  there  befell  the 
present   inroad   of  the   Arians,1   and   the   plunder   of  the 

1  Probably  that  of  a.d.  341,  when  Gregory  of  Cappadocia,  nominated  by  the 
Arian  Bishops,  who  had  assembled  at  the  Council  of  Antioch,  expelled  Athanasius 
from  the  see  of  Alexandria,  and  great  violence  was  committed  by  his  followers  and 
by  Philagrius  the  Prefect.     Athanasius  meanwhile  fled  to  Rome. 


*" 


% * 

268  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  17. 

churches,  when  they  carried  off  the  holy  vessels  by  violence, 
and  made  the  heathen  carry  them :  and  when  too  they 
forced  the  heathens  from  the  prisons  to  join  them,  and  in 
their  presence  did  on  the  Holy  Table  what  they  would.1 
Then  we  all  perceived  that  the  kicks  of  those  mules  fore- 
shadowed to  Antony  what  the  Arians  are  now  doing,  without 
understanding,  as  brute  beasts.  But  when  Antony  saw  this 
sight,  he  exhorted  those  about  him,  saying,  "  Lose  not  heart, 
children  ;  for  as  the  Lord  has  been  angry,  so  will  He  again 
be  appeased,  and  the  Church  shall  soon  receive  again  her 
own  order  and  shine  forth  as  she  is  wont ;  and  ye  shall  see 
the  persecuted  restored  to  their  place,  and  impiety  retreat- 
ing again  into  its  own  dens,  and  the  pious  faith  speaking 
boldly  everywhere  with  all  freedom.  Only  defile  not  your- 
selves with  the  Arians,  for  this  teaching  is  not  of  the 
Apostle,  but  of  their  father  the  devil ;  barren  and  irrational 
like  the  deeds  of  those  mules." 

All  the  magistrates  asked  him  to  come  down  from  the 
mountain,  that  they  might  see  him,  because  it  was  impos- 
sible for  them  to  go  in  thither  to  him.  And  when  he 
declined,  they  insisted,  and  even  sent  to  him  prisoners 
under  the  charge  of  soldiers,  that  at  least  on  their  account 
he  might  come  down.  So  being  forced  by  necessity,  and 
seeing  them  lamenting,  he  came  to  the  outer  mountain. 
And  his  labour  this  time  too  was  profitable  to  many,  and 
his  coming  for  their  good.  To  the  magistrates,  he  was  of 
use,  counselling  them  to  prefer  justice  to  all  things,  and  to 
fear  God,  and  to  know  that  with  what  judgment  they  judged 
they  should  be  judged  in  turn.  But  he  loved  best  of  all  his 
life  in  the  mountain.  Once  again,  when  he  was  compelled 
in  the  same  way  to  leave  it,  by  those  who  were  in  want,  and 
by  the  general  of  the  soldiers,  who  entreated  him  earnestly, 
he  came  down,  and  having  spoken  to  them  somewhat  of  the 

1  /./.  celebrated  there  their  own  Communion. 

* . — * 


*- 


-* 


January^.]  S.    AfttOfiy.  269 

things  which  conduced  to  salvation,  he  was  pressed  also  by 
those  who  were  in  need.  But  being  asked  by  the  general 
to  lengthen  his  stay,  he  refused,  and  persuaded  him  by  a 
graceful  parable,  saying,  "  Fishes,  if  they  lie  long  on  the  dry 
land,  die ;  so  monks  who  stay  with  you  lose  their  strength. 
As  the  fishes  then  hasten  to  the  sea,  so  must  we  to  the  moun- 
tain, lest  if  we  delay  we  should  forget  what  is  within." 

Another  general,  named  Balacius,  bitterly  persecuted  us 
Christians  on  account  of  his  affection  for  those  abominable 
Arians.     His  cruelty  was  so  great  that  he  even  beat  nuns, 
and  stripped  and  scourged  monks.     Antony  sent  him  a  letter 
to  this  effect : — "  I  see  wrath  coming  upon  thee.     Cease, 
therefore,  to  persecute  the  Christians,  lest  the  wrath  lay  hold 
upon  thee,  for  it  is  near  at  hand."     But  Balacius,  laughing, 
threw  the  letter  on  the  ground,  and  spat  on  it ;  and  insulted 
those  who  brought  it,  bidding  them  tell  Antony,  "Since  thou 
carest  for  monks,  I  will  soon  come  after  thee  likewise."   And 
not  five  days  had  passed,  when  the  wrath  laid  hold  on  him. 
For  Balacius  himself,  and  Nestorius,  the  Eparch  of  Egypt, 
went  out  to  the  first  station  from  Alexandria,  which  is  called 
Chsereas's.     Both  of  them  were  riding  on  horses  belonging 
to  Balacius,  and  the  most  gentle  in  all  his  stud  :  but  before 
they  had  got  to  the  place,  the  horses  began  playing  with  each 
other,  as  is  their  wont,  and  suddenly  the  more  gentle  of  the 
two,  on  which  Nestorius  was  riding,  attacked  Balacius  and 
pulled  him  off  with  his  teeth,  and  so  tore  his  thigh  that  he 
was  carried  back  to  the  city,  and  died  in  three  days. 

But  the  rest  who  came  to  Antony  he  so  instructed  that 
they  gave  up  at  once  their  lawsuits,  and  blessed  those  who 
had  retired  from  this  life.  And  those  who  had  been  un- 
justly used  he  so  protected,  that  you  would  think  he,  and 
not  they,  was  the  sufferer.  And  he  was  able  to  be  of  use  to 
all ;  so  that  many  who  were  serving  in  the  army,  and  many 
wealthy   men,   laid  aside  the  burdens  of  life  and  became 


*- 


-* 


270  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rjanuar>  t7. 

thenceforth  monks  ;  and  altogether  he  was  like  a  physician 
given  by  God  to  Egypt.  For  who  met  him  grieving,  and 
did  not  go  away  rejoicing?  Who  came  mourning  over  his 
dead,  and  did  not  forthwith  lay  aside  his  grief?  Who  came 
wrathful,  and  was  not  converted  to  friendship  ?  What  poor 
man  came  wearied  out,  and,  when  he  saw  and  heard  him, 
did  not  despise  wealth  and  comfort  himself  in  his  poverty  ? 
What  monk,  who  had  grown  remiss,  was  not  strengthened 
by  coming  to  him  ?  What  young  man  coming  to  the  moun- 
tain and  looking  upon  Antony,  did  not  forthwith  renounce 
pleasure  and  love  temperance  ?  Who  came  to  him  tempted 
by  devils,  and  did  not  get  rest?  Who  came  troubled  by 
doubts,  and  did  not  get  peace  of  mind?  For  this  was  the 
great  thing  in  Antony's  asceticism,  that  (as  I  have  said 
before),  having  the  gift  of  discerning  spirits,  he  understood 
their  movements,  and  knew  in  what  direction  each  of  them 
turned  his  endeavours  and  his  attacks.  And  not  only  he 
was  not  deceived  by  them  himself,  but  he  taught  those  who 
were  troubled  in  mind  how  they  might  turn  aside  the  plots 
of  devils,  teaching  them  the  weakness  and  the  craft  of  their 
enemies.  How  many  maidens,  too,  who  had  been  already 
betrothed,  and  only  saw  Antony  from  afar,  remained  un- 
married for  Christ's  sake !  Some,  too,  came  from  foreign 
parts  to  him,  and  all,  having  gained  some  benefit,  went  back 
from  him  as  from  a  father.  He  was  visiting,  according  to 
his  wont,  the  monks  in  the  outer  mountain,  and  having 
learned  from  Providence  concerning  his  own  end,  he  said 
to  the  brethren,  "  This  visit  to  you  is  my  last,  and  I  wonder 
if  we  shall  see  each  other  again  in  this  life.  It  is  time  for 
me  to  set  sail,  for  I  am  near  a  hundred  and  five  years  old." 
And  when  they  heard  that,  they  wept,  and  kissed  the  old 
man.  And  he,  as  if  he  were  setting  out  from  a  foreign  city 
to  his  own,  spoke  joyfully,  and  exhorted  them  not  to  grow 
idle  in  their  labours,  or  cowardly  in  their  training,  but  to  live 

* * 


*- 


-* 


January  i ».]  S.     AtltOny.  2"J1 

as  those  who  died  daily.     And  when  the  brethren  tried  to 
force  him  to  stay  with  them  and  make  his  end  there,  he 
would  not  endure  it,  on  many  accounts,  as  he  showed  by  his 
silence ;  and  especially  on  this  : — The  Egyptians  are  wont 
to  wrap  in  linen  the  corpses  of  good  persons,  and  especially 
of  the  holy  martyrs,  but  not  to  bury   them  underground, 
but   to   lay  them  upon  benches  and   keep   them  in  their 
houses ;]   thinking  that  by  this  they  honour  the  departed. 
Now  Antony  had  often  asked  the  bishops   to  exhort  the 
people  about  this,  and,  in  like  manner,  he  himself  rebuked 
the  laity  and  terrified  the  women  j  saying  that  it  was  a  thing 
neither  lawful,  nor  in  any  way  holy ;  for  that  the  bodies  of 
the   patriarchs  and  prophets  are  to  this  day  preserved  in 
sepulchres,  and  that  the  very  body  of  our  Lord  was  laid  in 
a  sepulchre,  and  a  stone  placed  over  it  to  hide  it,  till  He  rose 
the  third  day.    And  thus  saying,  he  showed  that  those  broke 
the  law  who  did  not  bury  the  corpses  of  the  dead,  even  if 
they  were  saints  ;  for  what  is  greater  or  more  holy  than  the 
Lord's  body  ?    Many,  then,  when  they  heard  him,  buried  their 
dead  thenceforth  underground ;  and  blessed  the  Lord  that 
they  had  been  taught  rightly.    Being  then  aware  of  this,  and 
afraid  lest  they  should  do  the  same  by  his  body,  he  hurried 
himself,  and  bade  farewell  to  the  monks  in  the  outer  moun- 
tain ;  and  coming  to  the  inner  mountain,  where  he  was  wont 
to  abide,  after  a  few  months  he  grew  sick,  and  calling  those 
who   were  by — and  there  were  two  of  them  who  had  re- 
mained  there   within   fifteen   years,    he   said  to  them,   "  I 
indeed  go  the  way  of  the  fathers,  as  it  is  written,  for  I  per- 
ceive that  I  am  called  by  the  Lord.     Promise  to  bury  me 
secretly,  so  that  no  one  shall  know  the  place,  save  you  alone, 
for  I  shall  receive  my  body  incorruptible  from  my  Saviour 
at  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.    And  distribute  my  garments 

1  Evidently  the  primaeval  custom  of  embalming  the  dead,  and  keeping  mummies 
in  the  house,  still  lingered  among  the  Egyptians. 


*" 


-* 


272  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  17. 

thus.  To  Athanasius,  the  bishop,  give  one  of  my  sheep- 
skins, and  the  cloak  under  me,  which  was  new  when  he 
gave  it  me,  and  has  grown  old  by  me;  and  to  Serapion, 
the  bishop,  give  the  other  sheepskin ;  and  do  you  have  the 
hair-cloth  garment  And  for  the  rest,  children,  farewell,  for 
Antony  is  going,  and  is  with  you  no  more." 

Saying  this,  when  they  had  embraced  him,  he  stretched 
out  his  feet,  and,  as  if  he  saw  friends  coming  to  him,  and 
grew  joyful  on  their  account  (for,  as  he  lay,  his  countenance 
was  bright),  he  departed  and  was  gathered  to  his  fathers. 
And  they  forthwith,  as  he  had  commanded  them,  preparing 
the  body  and  wrapping  it  up,  hid  it  under  ground :  and  no 
one  knows  to  this  day  where  it  is  hidden,  save  those  two 
servants  only. 

In  art,  S.  Antony  appears  (1),  with  a  hog  which  has  a 
bell  attached  to  its  neck.  Sometimes,  however,  S.  Antony 
holds  the  bell.  He  was  regarded  as  the  Patron  of  the 
Hospitallers  ;  and  when  ordinances  were  passed  forbidding 
the  poor  from  allowing  their  swine  to  run  loose  about  the 
streets,  as  they  were  often  in  the  way  of  horses,  an  exception 
was  made  in  favour  of  the  pigs  of  the  hospitallers,  on  con- 
sideration of  their  wearing  a  bell  round  their  necks.  But 
it  is  possible  that  this  did  not  originate  the  symbol,  but 
that  rather,  on  account  of  the  hog  being  the  symbol  of 
S.  Antony,  the  Antonine  Hospitallers  were  allowed  to  pre- 
serve theirs,  and  that  the  hog  represents  the  flesh  which 
S.  Antony  controlled,  and  the  bell  is  a  common  symbol  of 
hermits ;  (2),  he  is  represented  with  his  peculiar  cross. 
The  cross  of  S.  Antony  is  a  crutch,  or  the  Egyptian  cross, 
like  the  letter  T. 


* —  * 


* .. — * 

January  17.]  S.     Mildgytha.  2^ 

S.  SABINE,  B.  OF  PIACENZA. 

(END   OF   4TH    CENT.) 

[Authorities  :  Roman  Martyrology  and  the  Dialogues  of  S.  Gregory  the 
Great,  lib.  III.,  c.  10.J 

S.  Sabine  or  Savine,  was  of  Roman  origin ;  he  was  made 
Bishop  of  Piacenza  in  Italy,  and  was  present  at  the  great 
Council  of  Nicaea,  and  also  at  that  of  Aquileija.  S.  Gregory 
relates  of  him,  that  on  one  occasion  the  river  Po  had  over- 
flowed its  banks,  and  was  devastating  the  church  lands. 
Then  Sabine  said  to  his  deacon,  "  Go  and  say  to  the  river, 
'  The  Bishop  commands  thee  to  abate  thy  rage,  and  return 
into  thy  bed.' "  But  the  deacon  refused  to  go,  thinking  he 
was  sent  on  a  fool's  errand.  Therefore  Sabine  said  to  his 
notary,  "  Write  on  a  strip  of  parchment  these  words,  Sabine, 
servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  the  river  Po,  greeting: — 
I  command  thee,  O  river,  to  return  into  thy  bed,  and  do  no 
more  injury  to  the  lands  of  the  church,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  our  common  Lord."  And  when  the  notary  had  thus 
written,  the  Bishop  said,  "  Go,  cast  this  into  the  river." 
And  he  did  so ;  then  the  flood  abated,  and  the  Po  returned 
within  its  banks,  as  aforetime.  After  having  governed  his 
diocese  forty-five  years,  he  died  on  December  nth,  and 
was  buried  in  the  church  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  but  now 
known  as  the  church  of  S.  Savine,  on  Jan.  17th. 


S.  MILDGYTHA,  V. 
(about  a.d.  730.) 

[Mildgytha,  Mildwitha,  Milgith  or  Milwith,  as  she  is  variously  called,  is 
commemorated  in  the  English  Kalendars.] 

Nothing  more  is  known  of  S.  Mildgytha  than  that  she 
was  the  youngest  sister  of  S.  Mildred  and  S.  Milburgh,  and 
vol.   1.  18 


1 


274 


Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  17. 


-* 


daughter  of  S.  Ermenburga  and  Merevvald,  Prince  of  Mer- 
cia,  who  was  the  son  of  the  terrible  Penda,  the  great  enemy 
of  Christianity  in  Mid- England.  Mildgytha,  like  her  sisters, 
took  the  veil,  and  died  a  nun  at  Canterbury. 


The  Chair  of  3.   l'ctur  iu  the   Vati 


*- 


* 


-* 


lanuaryis.]  S.  Peter's  Chair.  275 


January  18. 

S.  Peter's  Chair,  at  Rome,  a.d.  43. 

S.  Prisca,  V.  M.,  at  Rome,  about  a.d.  50, 

SS.  Paul  and  Thirty-Six  Companions,  MM.,  in  Egyf>t. 

SS.  Archelaa,  Thecla,  and  Susanna,  V.,  MM.,  at  Salerno,  in  Italy, 

a.d.  285. 
S.  Volusian,  B.  C.  of  Tours,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  400. 
SS.  Liberata  and  Faustina,  W.t  at  Como,  in  Italy,  circ.  A.D.  580. 
S.  Leobard,  H.,  at  Marmoutier,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  583. 
S.  Deicolus,  Ab.  0/ Lure,  in  Burgundy,  beginning  of  jtk  cent. 
S.  Face,  C,  at  Cremona,  in  Italy,  a.d.  1272. 

S.  PETER'S  CHAIR. 
(a-d.  43-) 

[All  ancient  Latin  Martyrologies.  The  commemoration  having,  however, 
died  out,  it  was  restored  by  Pope  Paul  IV.  The  feast  of  the  Chair  of 
S.  Peter  is  found  in  a  copy  of  the  ancient  Martyrology,  passing  under 
the  name  of  S.  Jerome,  made  in  the  time  of  S.  Willibrod,  in  720.] 

[T  was  an  ancient  custom  observed  by  churches 
to  keep  an  annual  feast  of  the  consecration  of 
their  bishops,  and  especially  of  the  founding  of 
the  episcopate  in  them.  The  feast  of  S.  Peter's 
Chair  is  the  commemoration  of  the  institution  of  the 
patriarchal  see  of  Rome  by  S.  Peter,  the  Prince  of  the 
Apostles.  "This  day,"  says  S.  Augustine  (Serm.  xv.  de 
Sanctis),  "has  received  the  name  of  the  Chair  from  our 
predecessor,  because  S.  Peter,  the  first  of  the  Apostles,  is 
said  on  this  to  have  taken  the  throne  of  his  episcopate. 
Rightly,  therefore,  do  the  churches  venerate  the  natal  day  of 
that  chair  which  the  Apostle  received  for  the  good  of  the 
churches." 

The  ancient  wooden  seat  of  S.  Peter  is  preserved  in  the 
Vatican.  That  S.  Peter  founded  the  church  at  Rome  by 
his  preaching  is  expressly  asserted  by  Caius,  an  ecclesiasti- 


*- 


2j6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  18. 

cal  writer  born  about  a.d.  202, l  who  relates  that  he  and 
S.  Paul  suffered  there.  The  same  is  affirmed  by  Dionysius, 
Bishop  of  Corinth,  in  the  second  age.2  S.  Irenaeus,  who 
lived  in  the  same  age,  calls  the  Church  of  Rome  "the 
greatest  and  most  ancient  church,  founded  by  the  two 
glorious  Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul."3  Eusebius  says,  "  Peter, 
that  powerful  and  great  Apostle,  like  a  noble  commander  of 
God,  fortified  with  divine  armour,  bore  the  precious  mer- 
chandise of  the  revealed  light  from  the  east  to  those  in  the 
west,  and  came  to  Rome,  announcing  the  light  itself,  and 
salutary  doctrine  of  the  soul,  the  proclamation  of  the 
kingdom  of  God."4  And  he  adds  that  his  first  epistle  was 
said  to  have  been  composed  at  Rome,  and  that  he  shows 
this  fact,  by  calling  the  city  by  an  unusual  trope,  Babylon ; 
thus,  "  The  Church  of  Babylon,  elected  together  with  you, 
saluteth  you."     (1  Pet.  v.  13.5) 


S.  PRISCA,  V.  M.,  AT  ROME. 
(about  a.d.  50.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  She  is  often  confounded  with  S.  Priscilla  mentioned 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the  wife  of  Aquila,  but  called  Prisca  in  the 
second  epistle  of  Paul  to  Timothy.  What  adds  to  the  confusion  is,  that 
S.  Prisca  is  said  in  her  Acts  to  have  suffered  under  Claudius,  but  whether 
Claudius,  who  reigned  from  41 — 54,  or  the  second  Claudius,  who  reigned 
from  263  to  270,  is  not  stated ;  but  it  seems  probable  that  it  was  under  the 
first  Claudius.6  The  Acts  of  S.  Prisca  are  a  forgery,  and  deserve  no 
confidence.     The  following  account  is  taken  from  the  Martyrologies.] 

S.  Prisca,  a  maiden  of  consular  birth,  being  accused  of 
Christianity,   at  the  age  of  thirteen,    was   ordered   by  the 

1  Euseb.  Hist.  Eccl.,  lib.  II.  c.  2$.  *  Euseb.  lib.  II.  c.  25.  »  Lib.  III.  c.  3. 

*  Euseb.  lib.  II.  c.  14.  5  Ibid.  c.  ij. 

•  That  Claudius  I.  did  persecute  the  Church  appears  from  Acts  xviii.  1. 
Why  Alban  Butler  should  give  S.  Prisca  the  date  27;,  after  the  death  of  the  second 
Claudius,  when  all  notices  of  her  are  unanimous  in  saying  she  suffered  under 
Claudius  I.,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conjecture. 

* * 


*- 


-* 


January  is.]       6".  Paul  and  Companions.  277 

Emperor  Claudius  to  sacrifice  to  idols.  On  her  steadfastly 
refusing,  she  was  beaten  with  the  hand  and  cast  into  prison. 
On  the  morrow  she  was  again  urged  to  sacrifice,  but  when 
she  remained  invincible,  she  was  beaten  with  rods,  and  then 
taken  back  to  prison.  The  third  day  she  was  exposed  to 
a  lion,  which  however  crouched  at  her  feet,  doing  her  no 
injury.  Then,  having  been  tortured  on  the  little  horse,  with 
hooks  and  pincers,  she  was  led  outside  of  the  city,  and  was 
decapitated. 

An  eagle  is  said  to  have  defended  her  body  from  dogs, 
till  Christians  came  and  buried  it. 


SS.  PAUL  AND  THIRTY-SIX  COMPANIONS,    MM. 
IN  EGYPT. 

(date  uncertain.) 

[From  the  ancient  Acts  in  Bollandus  and  Ruinart.] 

In  Egypt  thirty-seven  Christian  soldiers  entered  into  a 
zealous  confederacy  to  spread  the  Gospel  throughout  the 
country.  Their  leader  was  one  Paul.  They  divided  them- 
selves into  four  companies.  Paul  and  nine  others  went 
eastwards.  Recumbus,  with  eight  more,  went  to  the  north ; 
Theonas,  with  the  like  number,  to  the  south;  and  Popias, 
with  the  remainder,  to  the  west.  The  Governor  of  Egypt, 
alarmed  at  the  report  he  heard  of  this  confederacy,  sent 
troops  to  apprehend  them,  and  when  they  were  brought 
before  him  he  ordered  them  to  instant  execution  ;  those 
who  went  to  the  east  and  south,  to  be  burnt;  those  who 
went  to  the  north  to  be  beheaded,  and  those  who  travelled 
west  to  be  crucified.  They  suffered  on  the  18th  January, 
but  in  what  year  is  not  mentioned. 


*- 


-* 


*-. 


278  Lives  0/  the  Saints.  [January  18. 

SS.  ARCHELAA,  THECLA,  AND  SUSANNA,  W.,  MM. 
AT  SALERNO. 

(ABOUT    A.D.    285.) 

[The  Acts  of  these  martyrs  constitute  the  lections  for  this  day  in  the 
Salerno  Breviary.     Entirely  unhistorical.] 

Archelaa,  a  virgin  consecrated  to  God,  during  the  perse- 
cution of  Diocletian,  took  refuge  with  two  maidens,  Thecla 
and  Susanna,  in  a  private  house  outside  the  walls  of  Nola, 
in  Campania,  hoping  to  remain  unnoticed  till  the  storm  was 
passed.  But  Leontius,  Governor  of  Salerno,  having  heard 
that  they  were  Christians,  ordered  them  to  be  brought 
before  him.  Archelaa  was  exposed  to  lions,  but  was  un- 
hurt ;  then  the  inhuman  judge  ordered  boiling  oil  and  pitch 
to  be  poured  over  her  naked  body.  In  her  agony,  she 
spread  her  hands  to  heaven,  and  cried :  "  Look,  O  Lord, 
on  us,  and  be  mindful  of  thy  servants.  Extinguish  the  fire 
which  consumes  me,  and  cool  my  tortured  body,  refreshing 
me  after  the  wounds  the  wicked  one  has  dealt  me  !"  Then  a 
sudden  sunbeam  shot  from  between  the  clouds  upon  her, 
and  a  voice  was  heard,  "  O  Martyr,  fear  not !  A  crown  is 
laid  up  for  thee  in  heaven.  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee,  and 
I  will  give  thee  refreshment  and  succour."  Then  Leontius 
ordered  Archelaa,  Thecla,  and  Susanna  to  have  their  heads 
smitten  off  with   the  executioner's  sword. 


S.  LEOBARD,  H.,    AT  MARMOUTIER 

(about  a.d.  583.) 

[Gallican  Martyrologies.     Authority  :  the  life  of  S.  Leobaid,  written  by 
his  friend,  S.  Gregory  of  Tours,] 

Leobard   was   the  son  of  noble  parents  in  Auvergne. 
The   youth   loved   study   and   prayer.       On   reaching   his 


-* 


* ' — * 

January  i8J  S.     Leobard.  2jg 

majority,  his  father  urged  him  to  marry,  but  the  young  man, 
having  no  wish  to  take  to  himself  a  wife,  refused.  The 
father,  however,  pressed  him  so  strongly,  that  at  last  he  con- 
sented to  be  betrothed.  "Then,"  says  S.  Gregory,  "the 
ring,  the  kiss,  and  the  shoe  were  given,  and  the  betrothal 
feast  was  kept."  But  Leobard  lost  his  father  shortly  after, 
and  taking  the  betrothal  gifts,  he  rode  to  his  brother's 
house,  to  make  them  over  to  him.  He  found  his  brother 
so  drunk  that  he  did  not  even  invite  him  to  stay  the  night 
with  him,  so  Leobard  tied  up  his  horse,  and  crept  into  a 
hay  loft  and  slept  there.  But  in  the  middle  of  the  night  he 
woke,  and  his  mind  turned  to  the  importance  of  saving  his 
soul,  and  of  striving  to  be  like  Christ.  Then  he  resolved 
to  renounce  the  world  wholly ;  but  first  to  seek  counsel  at 
the  tomb  of  S.  Martin  at  Tours.  From  Tours  he  went  to 
Marmoutier,  and  joined  himself  to  a  hermit  named  Alaric, 
who  spent  his  time  in  making  parchment  and  writing  out 
Holy  Scripture.  Leobard  lived  in  a  cave,  which  he  dug 
out  of  the  rock,  enlarging  it  and  improving  it  as  he  saw 
fitting;  and  here  he  spent  twenty-two  years  in  prayer  and 
study  and  writing,  and  in  labour  with  his  hands.  He  was 
frequently  visited  by  S.  Gregory  of  Tours,  who  was  his  per- 
sonal friend.  On  a  Sunday,  being  very  ill,  he  said  to  him 
who  ministered  to  him  in  his  sickness,  "  Prepare  me  some 
food."  "It  is  ready,  sir,"  answered  the  servant  shortly 
after.  "Go  forth,"  said  the  hermit,  "and  see  if  the  people 
are  returning  from  mass."  And  this  he  said  because  he  knew 
that  his  hour  was  come,  and  he  desired  to  be  alone  with 
God  when  he  migrated.  So  the  servant  went  out  and 
looked  towards  the  church,  and  waited,  and  presently  he 
returned  to  say  that  he  saw  the  congregation  drifting  home- 
wards, then  he  saw  his  master  lying  dead  upon  the  ground, 
and  he,  too,  was  going  home. 

* ■ * 


* ' * 

280  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u*™™y '«. 

S.  DEICOLUS,  AB.  OF  LURE. 

(BEGINNING   OF    7TH    CENT.) 

[Deicolus,  in  Irish  Deichul,  in  French  Did,  Ddi,  Die//,  Dieu,  or  Diet, 
is  commemorated  on  this  day  in  the  Roman  Martyrology  and  in  the 
Anglican  Kalendars.  His  translation  is  observed  on  Feb.  15th  or  Nov. 
21st.     His  life  was  written  by  an  anonymous  author  about  the  year  700.] 

Deicolus  quitted  Ireland,  his  native  country,  with  S.  Col- 
umbanus,  and  lived  with  him,  first  in  the  kingdom  of  the 
East  Angles,  and  afterwards  at  Luxeuil,  the  great  monastery 
he  founded  in  France.  When  S.  Columbanus  was  expelled 
by  the  fierce  Queen  Brunehaut  and  her  son  Thierri,  King  of 
Burgundy,  Deicolus  followed  him,  but  his  strength  failing 
him,  he  was  unable  to  continue  in  the  companionship  of  the 
energetic  and  active  Columbanus  ;  therefore,  falling  at  the 
feet  of  his  superior,  he  besought  his  permission  to  retire  to 
some  solitude  where  he  could  serve  God  in  tranquillity.  Then 
Columbanus,  compassionating  the  exhaustion  of  his  com- 
panion, said  in  a  fatherly  tone,  "  God  Almighty,  out  of  love 
to  whom  thou  didst  leave  thy  country,  and  hast  ever  obeyed 
me,  make  us  together  to  rejoice  in  the  presence  of  His 
Majesty."  And  when  they  had  long  clasped  each  other, 
and  had  shed  many  tears,  then  the  abbot  blessed  his  follower 
with  these  words,  "  The  Lord  give  thee  blessing  out  of  Zion, 
and  make  thee  to  see  Jerusalem  in  prosperity  all  thy  life 
long."  Then  he  hastily  tore  himself  away  weeping,  and 
Deicolus  remained  alone  in  Burgundy.  And  after  he  had 
knelt  down  and  commended  himself  to  God,  he  turned  and 
went  through  the  wild  tangled  thicket  and  waste  lands,  seek- 
ing where  he  might  settle.  But  the  country  was  a  wilderness 
without  habitation.  Then,  by  chance,  he  lighted  on  a  swine- 
herd, who  was  feeding  pigs  on  acorns  in  the  forest ;  who 
was  much  surprised  to  see  a  stranger.  But  Deicolus  said, 
"  Fear  not,  my  brother,  I  am  a  monk.     And  now  I  beseech 

*- — * 


* * 

January  18.]  S.     DetCOluS.  28 1 

thee,  show  me  a  commodious  spot  where  I  may  settle." 
Then  the  swineherd  mused  and  said,  "There  is  no  such 
place  in  this  wilderness,  save  a  little  lake  we  call  Luthra, 
with  fresh  springs."  And  when  Deicolus  urged  him  to  con- 
duct him  thither,  the  swineherd  said,  "  I  cannot  do  so,  for  I 
shall  lose  my  hogs  if  I  leave  them  without  a  keeper."  But 
Deicolus  took  his  staff,  and  planted  it  in  the  ground,  and 
said,  "  Be  without  fear,  my  staff  shall  be  thy  substitute,  and 
the  swine  will  not  stray  till  thou  returnest."  Then  the  pig- 
warden  believed  the  word  of  the  man  of  God,  and  he  left 
his  swine,  and  guided  Deicolus  to  the  place  called  Luthra ; 
and  there  there  was  a  little  chapel,  dedicated  to  S.  Martin, 
built  by  a  gentleman  named  Weifhardt,  where  service  was 
occasionally  performed  by  his  chaplain.1 

Now  Deicolus  was  pleased  with  the  place,  and  he  dwelt  in 
the  forest,  and  everyday  he  visited  the  little  chapel  and  opened 
the  door  and  went  in,  and  there  he  prayed.  But  the  priest 
who  served  that  chapel  was  very  wroth,  and  he  spoke  to  the 
people,  saying,  "  There  is  a  man,  a  sort  of  hermit,  who 
haunts  the  woods,  and  he  intrudes  on  this  chapel,  and  uses 
it,  as  if  it  were  his  own  private  property.  If  he  be  caught 
here  by  me,  I  swear  that  I  will  beat  him  well." 

Then  the  people  choked  the  windows  and  door  with 
brambles  and  thorns,  to  prevent  the  ingress  of  the  hermit. 
Nevertheless,  regardless  of  the  impediment,  he  came  as  usual. 
So  the  priest  complained  to  Weifhardt,  who  flew  into  a  rage, 
and  ordered  his  servants  to  scour  the  woods  for  Deicolus, 
and  when  they  had  caught  him,  savagely  to  maltreat  him. 
All  which  they  obeyed.  But  shortly  after,  the  gentleman 
fell  sick  of  a  most  painful  disorder,  and  when  his  wife,  Ber- 
thilda,  thought  that  he  must  die,  she  considered  that  perhaps 
the  disease  was  sent  in  punishment  for  the  injury  done  to  the 

1  Lure  is  in  the  diocese  of  Besancon,  among  the  Vosges  mountains,  between 
Vesoul  and  Belfort. 

* >i< 


*- 


-* 


282  LlVeS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  18. 

hermit.  Therefore  she  bade  her  servants  find  him  and  bring 
to  the  sick-bed.  Now  when  Deicolus  heard  that  Weifhardt 
was  grievously  tormented,  mindful  of  the  command  of  Christ, 
to  return  good  for  evil,  he  hasted  and  went  to  the  castle  of 
the  gendeman,  and  entered  the  room.  And  as  the  day  was 
hot,  and  he  had  walked  fast,  he  plucked  off  his  mantie,  for  he 
was  heated.  Then  the  servants  ran  to  take  it  from  him,  but 
Deicolus  exclaimed,  "  On  him  who  serves  God  the  elements 
attend,  and  he  needeth  not  the  assistance  of  man."  Then, 
seeing  a  sunbeam  shot  through  the  window,  he  cast  his 
mantle  upon  it,  and  it  rested  on  the  sunbeam.1 

And  when  he  had  prayed,  the  Lord  healed  the  gentleman  ; 
and  Berthilda  gave  Deicolus  the  farm  of  Luthra,  and  the  little 
chapel,  and  the  wood  adjoining.  Then  the  hermit  walked 
round  the  land  given  him,  and  he  rejoiced  and  cried,  "This 
shall  be  thy  rest  for  ever;  here  shalt  thou  dwell,  for  thou  hast 
a  delight  therein." 

Now  it  happened  one  day,  as  he  sat  reading  in  his  cell, 
that  King  Clothaire  II.  was  hunting  in  the  forest,  and  his 
dogs  pursued  a  wild  boar,  and  when  the  beast  was  hard 
pressed,  it  rushed  into  the  oratory  of  Deicolus,  covered 
with  foam.  Thereupon  the  hermit  extended  his  hand,  and 
laid  it  on  the  boar,  and  said,  "Believe  me,  because  thou 
hast  taken  refuge  in  the  love  of  the  brethren,  thy  life  shall 
be  spared  to-day."  Then  the  hunters  came  up,  with  the 
hounds,  and  they  found  the  boar  lying  panting  before  the 
altar,  and  the  man  of  God  standing  at  the  door  to  protect 
the  beast.  So  the  King  asked  Deicolus  who  he  was,  and 
whence  he  came,  and  when  the  hermit  had  told  him  that  he 

1  A  similar  story  is  told  01"  S.  Goar  (July  6th),  S.  Florence  (Nov.  7th),  S.  Amabilis 
(Oct.  19th),  S.  Cuthman(Feb.  8th),  S.  David, abbot  iu  Sweden  (July  15th),  S.  Hildevert, 
li.  of  Meaux  (May  i7th),  S.  Robert  of  Chaise-Dieu,  S.  Cunegunda,  S.  Odo  of  Urgel, 
S.  Leonore,  S.  Lucarus  of  linxeu,  S.  Bridget,  JJ.  Utho  of  Metten,  and  the  Ulessed 
Alrunaof  Altaich.  I  give  it  for  what  it  is  worth.  The  story  is  traditional,  not  having 
been  consigned  to  writing  fur  a  hundred  years  after  the  death  of  S.  Deicolus. 

* £, 


*- 


-* 


January  18.] 


kS.  Deicolus. 


283 


was  the  disciple  of  Columbanus,  who  had  promised  to  him 
in  old  times  that  he  should  reign  over  three  kingdoms,  which 
now  had  come  to  pass,  he  gave  to  Deicolus  the  game  in  the 
wood  and  the  fish  in  the  waters,  and  some  vineyards.  So 
Deicolus  gathered  brethren,  and  built  a  monastery.  And 
after  a  time  the  abbot  Deicolus  became  desirous  of  visiting 
Rome,  so  he  went  with  some  of  his  brethren,  and  obtained 
a  charter  from  the  Pope,  conferring  privileges  on  his  mon- 
astery. After  his  return  he  remained  some  years  governing 
his  monks,  ever  cheerful  and  of  amiable  disposition;  the  joy 
and  peace  of  his  soul  beamed  in  his  countenance.  S.  Col- 
umbanus once  said  to  him  in  his  youth,  "  Deicolus,  why  art 
thou  always  smiling?"  He  answered  in  simplicity,  "  Because 
no  one  can  take  my  God  from  me." 

The  year  of  his  death  is  not  known  with  certainty.  It  was 
on  the  1 8th  January  that  he  heard  God's  call  to  depart. 
Then  he  took  the  Holy  Sacrament,  and  after  having  com- 
municated himself,  he  kissed  all  the  brethren,  and  when  he 
had  kissed  the  last  he  fell  asleep. 


Baptism  and  Confirmation,   fr 


'amtm£  in  the   Catacombs. 


*- 


■* 


284  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  19. 


January  19. 

S.  Gekmanicus,  M.,  at  Smyrna,  in  Asia  Minor,  A.D.  161. 

SS.  Maris,  Martha,  Audifax,  and  Habakkuk,  MM.,  near  Rome,  a.d.  270. 

S.  Bassian,  B.  of  Lodi,  in  Italy,  circ.  A.n.  409. 

S.  Catellus,  B.  of  Castellamare,  in  Italy,  a.d.  617. 

S.  Launomar,  P.,  Ab.  of  Corbion,  in  France,  a.d.  593. 

S.  Remigius,  B.  of  Rouen,  circ.  a.d.  771. 

SS.  Blaithmaic,  Ab.,  and  Companions,  Monks  and  MM.,  at  lona,  in 

Scotland,  a.  d.  824. 
S.  Canute,  K.  M.,  in  Denmark,  a.d.  1086.     See  July  10. 
S.  Wulstan,  B.  of  Worcester,  a.d.  1095. 
S.  Henrv,  B.  M.,  at  Upsala,  in  Sweden,  a.d.  1150. 

S.  GERMANICUS,  M. 
(a.d.  161.) 

[Roman  Martyrology,  and  those  of  Usuardus,  Ado,  Notker  and  that 
attributed  to  Bede,  also  the  later  ones  of  Maurolycus,  Bellinus  and  Galesi- 
nius,  sometimes  also  on  Feb.  18.  Authority,  the  contemporary  Epistle  of 
the  Church  of  Smyrna  to  the  Church  of  Pontus,  describing  the  martyrdom 
of  SS.  Germanicus,  Polycarp,  and  others  ;  quoted  by  Eusebius,  lib.  IV. 
c.  15,] 

[HE  Epistle  of  the  Church  of  Smyrna,  narrating 
its  sufferings  under  the  Emperors  Marcus  An- 
toninus  and    Lucius    Aurelius,     says: — "Ger- 
manicus, a  noble  youth,  was  particularly  pre-emi- 
nent as  a  martyr,  for,  strengthened  by  divine  grace,  he  over- 
came the  natural  dread  of  death  implanted  in  us ;  although 
the  pro-consul  was  desirous  of  persuading  him,  and  urged 
him  from  consideration  of  his  youth,   that,    as  he  was  so 
young  and  blooming,  he  should  take  compassion  on  him- 
self.    He,  however,  hesitated  not,  but  eagerly  irritated  the 
wild  beast  let  loose  upon  him,  that  he  might  be  the  sooner 
freed  from  this  unjust  and  lawless  generation." 
The  Acts  of  this  martyr  have  been  lost. 


January  i9.]      S.  Maris  and  Companions.  285 

SS.  MARIS,  MARTHA,  AUDI  FAX  AND  HABAKKUK, 

MM. 

(a.d.  270.) 

[Modern  Roman  Martyrology,  but  the  ancient  Roman  Martyrology 
commemorated  them  on  Jan.  20th,  so  did  that  attributed  to  S.  Jerome, 
and  many  others.    Authority,  the  authentic  Acts.] 

In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Claudius  II.,  there  came  a 
man  from  Persia,  named  Maris,  with  his  wife  Martha,  and 
his  two  sons,  Audifax  and  Habakkuk,  to  Rome,  where  they 
sought  out  the  Christians  who  were  in  prison,  and  ministered 
to  them. 

At  this  time  Claudius  had  given  orders  for  the  suppression 
of  Christianity.  Two  hundred  and  sixty  Christians  were 
condemned  to  work  in  the  sand-pits  on  the  Salarian  way; 
but  were  afterwards  brought  into  the  amphitheatre,  and  were 
killed  with  arrows,  and  their  bodies  thrown  on  a  pyre.  Maris 
and  his  sons  withdrew  the  bodies  from  the  fire,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  a  priest,  named  John,  they  buried  many  of  them 
in  the  catacomb  on  the  Salarian  way.  And  in  the  evening, 
passing  under  a  house,  they  heard  singing,  and  they  knew 
that  what  they  heard  was  a  Christian  canticle.  Then  they 
struck  at  the  door,  and  those  who  were  within  feared  to 
open,  thinking  it  was  the  soldiers  come  to  take  them ;  but 
the  bishop,  who  was  with  the  congregation,  went  boldly  to 
the  door  and  opened  it ;  then  they  knew  that  these  were 
Christians  who  stood  without;  so  they  fell  on  their  necks 
and  kissed  them. 

Now  it  fell  out  that  Maris  and  his  wife  and  sons  were  in 
the  house  of  Asterius,  a  new  convert,  on  a  certain  occasion, 
with  Valentine  the  priest,  when  the  soldiers  entered  the 
house  and  took  all  within  before  the  Emperor,  who  re- 
manded them  to  Muscianus,  the  prefect,  to  be  by  him 
sentenced  according  to  their  deserts. 

*— * 


-* 


286  Lives  of  the  Saints.  rjanuaryi*. 


Muscianus  ordered  Maris  and  his  two  sons  to  be  beaten, 
and  then  to  be  placed  on  the  little  horse  and  tortured  with 
iron  hooks  and  lighted  torches,  but  Martha  to  stand  by,  and 
see  her  husband  and  children  tormented.  As  they  remained 
constant,  he  commanded  their  hands  to  be  struck  off. 
Then  Martha  stooped  and  dipped  her  finger  in  their  blood, 
and  signed  her  brow  therewith.  Exasperated  to  the  last 
degree,  the  judge  ordered  Maris  and  the  two  sons  to  be 
decapitated  in  a  sand-pit,  and  Martha  to  be  drowned  in  a 
well,  all  which  was  carried  into  execution.1  A  pious  matron, 
named  Felicitas,  rescued  the  bodies,  and  buried  them  in  her 
farm. 


S.  BASSIAN,  B.  OF  LODI. 

(ABOUT  A.D.  409.) 

[Roman  and  many  other  Martyrologies.  Double  feast  with  octave  at 
Lodi.  Authorities,  his  life  by  an  anonymous  author,  of  uncertain  date, 
also  the  lections  for  this  day  in  the  Lodi  Breviary.  S.  Ambrose,  in  his  6oth 
letter,  speaks  of  S.  Bassian.] 

Bassian  was  the  son  of  Sergius,  prsefect  of  Syracuse,  a 
heathen.  As  a  child  he  is  said  to  have  scrawled  the  sign  of 
the  cross  in  the  dust,  and  was  rebuked  for  so  doing  by  his 
nurse.  This  set  him  wondering,  and  his  mind  turned  to  the 
religion  of  the  Crucified,  so  that  when  sent  to  Rome,  at  the 
age  of  twelve,  to  be  educated  in  the  liberal  arts,  he  sought 
out  those  who  reverenced  that  sign  which  his  nurse  had  for- 
bidden him  to  scribble.  A  priest,  named  Gordian,  in- 
structed the  lad  in  the  Christian  faith,  and  finally  baptized 
him.  As  soon  as  his  father  heard  of  his  conversion,  he  sent 
orders  to  have  him  brought  home  at  once.  Then  Bassian, 
fearing  the  result,  should  he  be  re-conducted  to  Syracuse, 

1  At  Santa  Ninfa,  about  thirteen  miles  from  Rome. 


*" 


*_ * 

January^.]  6".  Launomar.  287 

ran  away  to  Ravenna.  On  his  way  occured  one  of  those 
simple  and  touching  incidents  which  abound  in  the  lives  of 
the  saints,  and  which  in  spite  of  repetition,  must  be  related. 
A  stag  with  her  two  fawns  bounded  into  the  road,  the  hunters 
were  in  pursuit,  the  stag  was  not  willing  to  desert  her  little 
ones,  and  they  were  too  young  to  make  good  their  escape. 
Seeing  the  distress  of  the  mother,  Bassian  called  to  her,  and 
she  came  to  him  with  her  fawns,  and  licked  his  feet,  as  he 
caressed  her  dappled  hide.  Soon  after  the  hunters  came 
up,  and  one  more  impetuous  than  the  rest,  attempted  to 
take  the  stag.  Then  Bassian  threw  his  arms  round  her 
neck,  and  called  on  God  to  protect  her.  Instantly  the  man, 
whose  anger  had  flamed  up  at  the  resistance  offered  him, 
fell  in  an  apoplectic  fit ;  and  when  he  recovered,  withdrew 
in  fear,  without  injuring  the  stag. 

In  the  reign  of  Valerian,  Bassian  was  elected  Bishop  of 
Lodi,  and  ruled  the  diocese  with  zeal  and  discretion. 
He  built  in  his  Cathedral  city  the  church  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  and  S.  Ambrose  assisted  in  its  dedication.  Bassian 
was  with  S.  Ambrose  when  he  died. 


S.  LAUNOMAR,  AB.  OF  CORBION. 
0.r.rp3.) 

[S.  Lamomar,  called  in  French  Laumer  or  Lomer,  is  commemorated  in 
the  Gallican  Martyrologies.  His  life  was  written  by  one  who  apparently 
knew  him,  as  we  may  conclude  from  certain  passages  therein.] 

S.  Laumer  as  a  boy  kept  his  father's  sheep  near  Chartres  ; 
afterwards,  having  learned  his  letters,  he  heard  the  call  of 
God,  and  gave  himself  up  to  his  service.  He  was  ordained 
priest,  and  entering  a  monastery,  was  appointed  steward. 
However,  such  a  life  did  not  suit  him,  and  he  retired  into 
the  forest,  escaping  from  the  monastery  one  stormy  night, 
when   all   the   brethren  were   asleep,    taking   in   his   hand 

4n £f 


* g 

288  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January^. 

nothing  save  his  staff.  He  took  refuge  in  the  depths  of  the 
forest,  where  he  hoped  none  would  find  him,  but  his  sanctity 
becoming  known,  disciples  flocked  to  him.  Two  miracles 
occur  in  his  forest  life  very  similar  to  those  related  of  other 
saints.  One  night  as  he  prayed,  the  Prince  of  the  power  of 
the  Air,  hoping  to  frighten  him,  by  leaving  him  in  the  dark, 
thrice  extinguished  his  light,  and  thrice  was  it  rekindled. 
One  day  he  saw  a  hind  pursued  by  wolves,  he  ordered  the 
wolves  to  desist  from  pursuing  the  poor  animal,  which  came 
and  crouched  at  his  feet,  whilst  he  patted  it.  Then  he  gave 
the  hind  his  blessing  and  dismissed  it  When  the  number 
of  his  disciples  increased,  so  that  he  felt  his  solitude  dis- 
solved, Laumer  fled  away  again,  and  hid  himself  in  the 
wood,  where  afterwards  rose  the  monastery  of  Corbion,  near 
Dreux.  But  a  city  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid,  his  cell  of 
green  leaves  and  wattles  soon  became  the  centre  of  a  colony 
of  monks,  and  a  nobleman  whose  land  this  was,  gave  it  to 
him,  that  he  might  build  thereon  a  monastery.  One  instance 
of  the  gentleness  of  S.  Laumer  deserves  not  to  be  passed 
over.  During  the  night,  some  robbers  stole  a  cow  belonging 
to  the  monks.  The  brethren  were  in  despair.  The  robbers 
however,  had  lost  their  way  in  the  tangled  forest,  as  they 
drove  the  cow  away,  and  they  wandered  all  night  and 
the  next  day,  unable  to  discover  the  road ;  when,  as  evening 
settled  in,  they  saw  the  forest  lighten,  and  they  came  out, 
driving  the  cow,  upon  the  clearing  of  the  monastery,  and  S. 
Laumer  himself  stood  before  them.  They  at  once  fell  at 
his  feet,  asking  his  pardon,  and  imploring  him  to  direct 
them  aright ;  but  he  raised  them,  and  said,  "  I  thank  you, 
kind  friends,  for  finding  and  bringing  back  to  me  my  strayed 
cow;  you  must  be  very  tired  and  hungry,  follow  me." 
Then  he  led  them  into  his  hut,  and  set  before  them  such 
things  as  he  had,  and  they  ate  and  were  refreshed,  and  he 
set  them  on  their  right  road,  but  of  course,  without  the  cow. 

* * 


g, . * 

January  x9.]     SS.  Blaithmac  and  Companions.      289 

SS.  BLAITHMAC  AND  COMP.  MONKS,  M.M. 

(a.d.  824) 

[Irish  Martyrologies.  Authority : — The  Acts  of  S.  Blaithmac  written  in 
verse  by  his  contemporary  Walafrid  Strabo,  and  the  Irish  Annals.] 

S.  Blaithmac  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  son  of  Flann, 
perhaps  one  of  the  southern  Niells,  princes  of  Meath,  the 
names  of  Flann  and  Blaithmac  having  been  common  in  that 
family.  He  was  heir  to  a  principality,  but  he  abandoned  his 
prospects  in  this  world  to  become  a  monk,  and  afterwards 
an  abbot.  Blaithmac  had  an  ardent  desire  to  visit  foreign 
parts,  but  he  was  prevented  by  his  friends  and  companions 
from  leaving  Ireland.  At  length  he  passed  over  to  Iona, 
which  was  shortly  after  invaded  by  a  party  of  Northmen. 
As  he  was  anxious  to  receive  the  crown  of  martyrdom,  he 
determined  to  remain  there  whatever  might  happen,  and  by 
his  example  induced  some  others  to  stay  with  him,  advising 
those  who  feared  death  to  take  refuge  on  the  mainland. 
While  he  was  celebrating  mass  the  Danes  burst  into  the 
church,  and  having  slaughtered  the  monks,  demanded  of  the 
abbot  where  was  the  precious  shrine  of  S.  Columba.  This 
had  been  carried  off  and  concealed  underground,  where  the 
abbot  knew  not.  Accordingly  he  answered  that  he  was  igno- 
rant where  it  was,  and  added  that  even  if  he  had  known, 
he  would  not  have  pointed  out  the  spot  to  them.  They  then 
put  him  to  death.  The  Ulster  Annals  give  his  martyrdom 
in  825-828.  The  Irish  annals  generally  agree  in  fixing  his 
death  at  823  (a.d.  824).  Mabillon  was  wrong  in  supposing 
it  took  place  in  793.  Blaithmac  is  derived  from  Blaith,  a 
flower;  hence  his  latinized  name  is  Florigenius  or  Floras. 


vol.  1.  19 

g, — -* 


* _* 

290  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  19 

S.  WULSTAN,  B.  OF  WORCESTER. 

(A.D.   IO95.) 

[Anglican  and  German  and  Roman  Martyrologies.  Authorities :  his  life 
by  Florence  of  Worcester  (d.  1118),'  and  William  of  Malmesbury,  written 
47  years  after  the  death  of  S.  Wulstan  ;  another  in  Roger  of  Wendover,  and 
numerous  notices  in  other  old  English  historians.  He  is  called  variously 
Wulstan  and  Wulfstan.     Canonized  by  Innocent  III,  1203.] 

S.  Wulstan  was  born  in  Warwickshire  of  pious  parents. 
His  father's  name  was  Ealstan,  and  his  mother's  Wulfgeova. 
Both  his  parents  were  so  devoted  to  the  religious  life,  that, 
by  mutual  consent,  they  retired  into  monastic  houses.  In- 
spired by  such  examples,  but  chiefly  by  his  mother's  per- 
suasion, Wulfstan  quitted  the  world  whilst  yet  young,  and 
took  the  monastic  habit  in  the  same  monastery  in  Worcester 
where  his  father  had  devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  God. 
He  was  there  ordained  deacon,  and  then  priest,  by  the  bishop. 
Observing  a  very  strict  course  of  life,  he  soon  became  re- 
markable for  his  vigils,  fasting  and  prayers.  In  consequence 
of  his  discipline  of  himself,  he  was  first  appointed  master 
of  the  novices,  and  afterwards,  on  account  of  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  ecclesiastical  services,  precentor  and  treasurer 
of  the  church.  Being  now  intrusted  with  the  custody  of  the 
church,  he  embraced  the  opportunities  it  afforded  him  for 
being  almost  perpetually  in  the  sacred  edifice,  spending 
whole  nights  before  the  altar  in  prayer ;  and  when  he  was 
exhausted  with  fatigue,  he  lay  on  one  of  the  church  benches, 
and  placed  his  prayer-book  beneath  his  head  as  a  pillow. 

After  some  time,  on  the  death  of  the  prior,  Bishop  Aldred 
appointed  Wulstan  to  succeed  him.  As  prior,  he  preached 
every  Lord's  Day  to  the  people,  with  so  great  unction,  that 
they  were  moved  to  tears.     One  of  the  monks  grumbled,  and 

1  Florence  knew  S.  Wulstan  personally,  as  appears  from  his  account  of  his  vigils. 
He  says,  "  I  le  sometimes  went  four  days  and  nights  without  sleep, — a  thing  we 
could  hardly  have  believed,  if  we  had  not  heard  it  from  his  own  mouth." 

*■ — % 


*- 


-* 


January^.]  S.      Wulstdll.  2C)  1 

said  that  Wulfstan  forgot  his  place, — it  was  the  office  of  the 
bishop  to  preach,  and  that  of  the  monk  to  hold  his  tongue. 
Hearing  this,  Wulfstan  said,  "  My  brother,  the  Word  of  God 
is  not  bound." 

Although  very  abstemious  and  moderate  in  his  diet,  he 
had  not  refrained  from  meat,  till  one  day  that  roast  goose 
was  being  prepared  for  dinner,  the  fragance  filled  the 
church,  and  Wulstan,  who  was  at  the  altar  celebrating  mass, 
was  so  distracted  with  the  delicious  odour,  for  he  was  very 
hungry,  as  it  was  the  late  choral  mass,  that  he  could  not 
collect  his  thoughts.  Then,  filled  with  shame,  before  he  left 
the  altar  he  vowed  never  to  touch  meat  again,  and  he  kept 
this  vow  to  his  dying  day. 

On  the  elevation  of  Aldred,  Bishop  of  Worcester,  to  the 
archbishopric  of  York,  by  unanimous  consent  of  the  clergy 
and  laity  in  the  election  of  a  successor,  Wulstan  was 
chosen ;  the  king  having  granted  them  permission  to  elect 
whom  they  pleased. 

It  chanced  that  the  legates  from  the  Pope  were  present  at 
the  election,  but  neither  they  nor  the  clergy  and  people 
could  persuade  Wulstan  to  accept  the  charge,  of  which  he 
declared  himself  to  be  unworthy.  At  last,  being  sharply  re- 
proved for  his  obstinate  wilfulness  by  Wulfsi,  a  hermit,  and 
being  strongly  urged  by  S.  Edward  the  Confessor,  then 
king,  he  yielded,  and  was  consecrated  on  the  Feast  of  the 
Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  1062. 

As  bishop,  Wulstan  maintained  the  same  severity  towards 
himself;  every  day  he  sang  the  late  high  mass  ;  it  being 
usual  for  the  priests  to  take  the  choral  mass  by  weeks,  in 
turns,  it  being  very  trying,  as  the  celebrant  had  to  remain 
fasting  till  a  late  hour.  Wulstan  not  only  sang  the  high  mass 
daily,  but  also  all  the  canonical  hours,  and  when  he  rode  on 
journeys,  he  had  his  book  open  before  him  on  the  pommel 
of  his  saddle,  and  he  chanted  aloud  the  psalms  of  David. 


*- 


"* 


£|. — * 

292  Lives  of  the  Saints.  •  [January  »* 

As  the  old  church  and  monastic  buildings  reared  by 
S.  Oswald  were  being  demolished,  to  make  way  for  more 
splendid  edifices,  Wulstan  stood  one  day,  and  looked  at  the 
roofless  church,  and  the  walls  that  were  being  torn  down, 
and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears.  "  Why  should  you  weep,"  said 
a  monk,  standing  by ;  "  you  should  rather  laugh,  to  see  the 
meanness  of  the  first  house  swept  away,  to  make  room  foi 
a  glorious  second  one."  "  No,"  answered  Wulstan,  "  I  see 
nothing  to  rejoice  over  in  the  demolition  of  the  work  of  oui 
Saints.  True,  they  knew  not  how  to  rear  a  stately  building; 
but  under  a  mean  roof,  they  offered  the  adorable  sacrifice 
to  God  with  great  devotion,  and  set  saintly  examples  to 
their  flock ;  and  we — we  collect  and  carve  the  stones  of  the 
material  temple,  and  neglect  the  edification  of  that  which  is 
spiritual — the  souls  of  men." 

Below  him  in  church  sat  a  curly-headed  choir  boy.  One 
day  the  bishop  bent  down,  and  laying  his  hand  on  the  glossy 
curls,  said,  "  All  these  will  fall  off  one  day  !"  Then  the  boy 
in  alarm,  turned  round  and  said,  "  Oh,  save  my  curls  for 
me  !"  "  My  child,  do  not  fear,  as  long  as  I  live  you  shall 
retain  your  abundant  hair."  And  so  he  did,  for  many  long 
years,  till  Wulstan  died,  and  then,  says  the  chronicler  who 
records  this  strange  little  incident,  his  hair  came  off  as  the 
bishop  had  foretold.1 

When  William  the  Conqueror  established  himself  in 
England,  he  not  only  gave  the  lands  to  his  Norman  nobles, 
but  also  the  bishoprics  to  his  Norman  clergy.  "  Wulstan  is 
a  fool,  he  cannot  speak  French  !"  said  William,  and  he 
ordered  Lanfranc,  his  Norman  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
to  depose   the  plain  Saxon  Bishop  of  Worcester,    on  the 

'  S.  Wulstan  sometimes  joked  ;  but  the  specimen  recorded  by  Malmesbury  is 
not  striking  for  wit,  nor  for  its  reverence,  wherefore  I  give  it  in  Latin.  Being 
asked  why  he  wore  lamb's  wool  garments  in  winter,  instead  of  cat's  skin  like  the 
other  clergy  he  answered,  "  Nunquam  audivi  cantari  Cattus  Dei,  sed  Agnus  Dei; 
ideo  non  catto,  sed  agno  volo  calefied." 

& * 


* — * 

January  19.]  ,£      WulstUH.  293 

charge  of  ignorance.  A  conclave  was  held  in  Westminster 
Abbey  in  1074,  to  decide  a  dispute  between  Robert,  Arch- 
bishop of  York,  and  Lanfranc,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
as  to  the  question  whether  the  diocese  of  Worcester  be- 
longed to  the  northern  or  the  southern  province,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  deprive  Wulstan.  When  called  in  question  as 
to  his  slender  attainments  in  learning,  he  rose  and  said, 
"  We  have  not  sung  Sext  yet.  Let  us  chant  the  office  first, 
and  I  will  answer  afterwards." 

But  those  around  him  remonstrated,  saying,  "  Let  us  do 
our  business  first,  and  we  can  sing  the  service  afterwards ; 
we  shall  become  objects  of  ridicule  to  the  king  and  nobles, 
if  we  keep  them  waiting  till  we  have  done  our  office." 

"  No  !"  exclaimed  Wulstan ;  "  the  duty  to  God  must  be 
done  first,  and  then  we  will  consider  the  petty  disputes  of 
men."  Having  sung  the  service,  he  directly  proceeded  to 
the  council  chamber.  To  his  dependants,  who  were  de- 
sirous of  withholding  him,  and  who  could  not  be  persuaded 
that  their  cause  was  not  in  danger,  he  said,  "  Know 
for  certain,  that  I  here  see  the  holy  archbishops,  Dunstan  of 
Canterbury  and  Oswald  of  York,  defending  me  this  day  by 
their  prayers,  and  they  will  darken  the  understandings  of 
my  gainsayers."  Then  he  gave  his  benediction  to  a  monk 
who  could  speak  Norman  French,  but  imperfectly  at  best, 
and  ordered  him  to  state  his  case  for  him.1 

There  stood  the  grave  long-bearded  Saxon  bishop 
arraigned  for  ignorance  before  the  Norman  king,  and  his 
smooth-shaven2  Norman  prelates.  Wulstan,  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  people,  Lanfranc  of  the  nobles ;  Wulstan, 
the  bishop  of  the  conquered,  and  Lanfranc  of  the  con- 
querors.    When  the  poor  Saxon  peasants  had  come  to  him 

1  So  far  William  of  Malmesbury,  who  abruptly  closes,  saying  that  he  will  no 
longer  torture  the  patience  of  his  readers.  What  follows  is  from  Roger  of 
Wendover. 

'    Dr.  Rock  :  Church  of  our  Fathers,  II.  p.  go,  plate. 

* * 


* * 

294  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [>nu«y  »<>• 

at  Worcester,  and  had  complained  that  these  Norman  invaders 
trampled  down  their  corn,  and  robbed  them  of  their  cattle, 
and  ground  them  down  with  taxes;  "They  are  God's 
scourge,  these  Normans,  punishing  us  for  our  sins,  my 
children,"  said  Wulstan.  And  now  he  was  to  be  deprived 
of  his  office  by  these  invaders,  that  a  Norman  might 
occupy  his  stool,  and  shepherd  with  his  crook  the  Saxon 
bondsmen.  The  council  decided,  in  accordance  with  the 
royal  pleasure,  that  Wulstan  was  too  ignorant  to  deserve  to 
retain  his  see,  and  that  therefore  he  must  resign  his  pastoral 
staff  and  ring.  The  ring,  the  token  that  he  was  wedded  to 
his  diocese  before  God,  that  he  said  he  would  never  resign, 
in  life  or  in  death.  "  I  received  this  ring  without  coveting 
it,  and  I  will  bear  it  with  me  to  my  grave."1  But  the  staff, 
the  token  of  jurisdiction,  that  he  could  be  deprived  of,  so 
rising  from  his  place,  with  unruffled  composure,  and  placid 
countenance,  holding  his  staff,  he  said,  "  Truly,  my  Lord 
Archbishop,  truly  I  know  that  I  am  unworthy  of  this  honour, 
nor  fit  to  bear  this  burden,  nor  sufficient  to  endure  the 
labour.  I  knew  this  when  the  clergy  elected  me,  and  when 
the  bishops  urged  me,  and  when  my  own  master,  King 
Edward,  invited  me.  He,  with  the  authority  of  the 
apostolic  see,  laid  this  burden  on  my  shoulders,  and 
ordered  me  to  be  invested  with  the  episcopate,  by  the 
token  of  this  staff.  Now  thou  desirest  of  me  this  pastoral 
staff,  which  thou  gavest  me  not ;  thou  demandest  of  me 
the  surrender  of  the  office  thou  laidest  not  on  me.  I, 
indeed,  am  well  aware  of  my  ignorance,  and  yielding  to  the 
sentence  of  this  holy  conclave,  I  resign  my  staff — not  to 
thee,  but  to  him  who  gave  it  me."  Saying  this  he  went 
forth  from  the  chapter  house  to  the  tomb  of  S.  Edward  the 
Confessor,  and  standing  before  the  stone,  he  cried,  "  Thou 
knowest;   O  my  Master !    how  reluctantly  I  received   this 

1  Roger  of  VVendover,  and  Capgrave. 
* ■ 


J* 

January  19.]  S.      Wulstdlt.  295 

burden,  how  often  I  fled  away  from  it ;  how,  when  sought, 
that  it  might  be  imposed  on  me,  I  secreted  myself.  I 
confess  that  I  am  a  fool,  but  thou  didst  constrain  me. 
There  lacked  not  the  election  of  the  brethren,  the  entreaty 
of  the  people,  the  will  of  the  bishops,  the  favour  of  the 
nobles ;  but  none  of  these  things  weighed  with  me  like  thy 
authority;  it  was  thy  will  that  bent  mine.  And  now  we 
have  a  new  king,  a  new  law,  a  new  archbishop,  who  found 
new  rights  and  declare  new  sentences.  They  convince  thee  of 
error,  who  commanded,  and  me  of  presumption,  who  obeyed. 
Therefore,  not  to  them  who  demand,  but  to  thee  who 
gavest ;  not  to  them,  fallible,  walking  in  darkness,  but  to  thee 
who  hast  been  led  forth  into  the  clear  light  of  very  truth, 
and  hast  escaped  out  of  this  region  of  error  and  ignorance, 
to  thee  I  resign  my  staff,  to  thee  I  surrender  the  cure  of  those 
thou  didst  commend  to  me,  to  thee  I  commit  them  in  con- 
fidence, knowing  well  thy  merits." 

Having  said  this,  he  slowly  raised  his  hand  a  little,  and 
said,  "  My  lord  and  king,  accept  this,  and  surrender  it  to 
whom  thou  choosest !"  Then  he  struck  the  staff  into  the 
sepulchral  stone,  and  laying  aside  his  pontifical  habit,  he 
seated  himself,  as  a  monk,  among  the  monks. 

Was  there  ever  a  grander  incident  in  English  Church 
history?  Was  there  ever  a  nobler  speech  uttered  by  an 
English  bishop  ? 

Then  all,  surprised,  saw  that  the  staff  stood  in  the  stone ; 
and  one  ran  and  told  Lanfranc,  but  he  believed  it  not,  and 
bade  Gundulf,  Bishop  of  Rochester,  to  whom  he  had 
promised  the  bishopric  of  Worcester,  to  go  and  bring  back 
the  staff.  So  Gundulf  went,  but  the  staff  was  immovably 
imbedded  in  the  stone. 

Then  the  archbishop  and  the  king  went  to  the  tomb,  and 
sought  to  wrench  the  staff  from  where  it  stood,  but  they 
were    unable.       Lanfranc    at    once    turned,    and    coming 

* * 


296  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  i9. 

straight  down  to  where  the  monk  sat,  he  bowed  to  him,  and 
said,  "  Verily  God  resisteth  the  proud  and  giveth  grace 
unto  the  humble.  Thy  simplicity  was  scorned  by  us, 
brother,  but  thy  righteousness  is  made  clear  as  the  light 
Our  wisdom  has  been  brought  to  naught,  and  thy  ignorance 
has  prevailed.  Take  then  again  that  charge  which  we  un- 
advisedly deprived  thee  of,  but  which  we,  by  our  authority 
and  the  judgment  of  God,  commit  to  thee  once  more." 

But  Wulstan  hesitated ;  however,  being  urged  vehemently 
by  those  who  stood  by,  he  went  to  the  tomb  again,  and 
said : — "  Now,  my  lord  and  king,  to  whose  judgment  I 
commended  myself,  and  to  whom  I  resigned  my  staff,  show 
me  what  is  thy  pleasure.  Thou  hast  preserved  thine 
honour,  thou  hast  made  manifest  my  innocence.  If  thine 
old  sentence  stands,  restore  to  me  my  staff;  if  not,  yield  it 
to  whom  thou  wilt !"  Then  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and 
touched  the  staff,  and  he  removed  it  at  once  with  ease.1 

To  Lanfranc  and  Wulstan,  acting  conjointly,  is  due  the 
cessation  of  the  slave  traffic  in  England.  It  was  the  custom 
of  the  English  to  sell  slaves  to  the  Irish,  and  this  was 
subject  to  a  tax  which  passed  into  the  royal  exchequer. 
"  The  credit  of  this  action,"  says  Malmesbury,  2  "  I  know 
not  whether  to  attribute  to  Lanfranc,  or  to  Wulstan,  who 
would  scarcely  have  induced  the  king,  reluctant  from  the 
profit  it  produced  to  him,  to  this  measure,  had  not  Lan- 
franc commended  it,  and  Wulstan,  powerful  through  the 
sanctity  of  his  character,  commended  it  by  episcopal 
authority." 

Having  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  William,  Wulstan 
remained  faithful.  When,  in  the  same  year,  1074,  some  of 
the  Saxon  earls  rose  against  the  Conqueror,  Wulstan    and 

1  This  most  striking  incident  is  not  mentioned  by  Florence  of  Worcester,  or 
William  of  Malmesbury,  but  occurs  in  Roger  of  Wendover  and  Matthew  of 
Westminster. 

»  Chronicle,  lib.  III. 

* * 


S.   WULSTAN,    BISHOP   OF   WORCESTER. 
From  a  Design  by  A.  Welby  Pugin. 


Jan.,  p.  296.] 


[Jan.  19. 


* __ — ^ 

January^.]  S.      Wulstatl.  297 

the  abbot  of  Evesham,  supported  by  the  sheriff  of  Worcester 
and  Walter  de  Lacy,  prevented  their  junction,  by  raising 
their  vassals  and  occupying  the  ford  of  the  Severn.1 

In  the  Barons'  revolt,  1088,  "  Bernard  du  Neuf- 
Marche*,  Roger  de  Lacy,  who  had  lately  wrested  Hereford 
from  the  king,  and  Ralph  de  Mortimer,  with  the  vassals  of 
the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  having  assembled  a  numerous  army 
of  English,  Normans  and  Welsh,  burst  into  the  province  of 
Worcester,  declaring  that  they  would  burn  the  city  of 
Worcester,  plunder  the  Church  of  God  and  S.  Mary,  and 
take  summary  vengeance  on  the  inhabitants  for  their  loyalty 
to  the  king.  On  hearing  this,  the  reverend  father  Wulstan, 
Bishop  of  Worcester,  a  man  of  deep  piety  and  dove-like 
simplicity,  beloved  alike  by  God  and  the  people  he 
governed,  faithful  to  the  king  as  his  earthly  lord,  was  in  great 
tribulation ;  but  soon  rallying,  by  God's  mercy,  prepared  to 
stand  manfully  by  his  people  and  city.  While  they  armed 
themselves  to  repel  the  enemy,  he  poured  forth  supplications 
in  the  impending  danger,  exhorting  his  people  not  to 
despair.  Meanwhile,  the  Normans,  taking  counsel,  entreated 
the  bishop  to  remove  from  the  church  into  the  castle, 
saying  that  his  presence  there  would  give  them  more  se- 
curity, if  they  were  in  great  peril,  for  they  loved  him  much. 
Such  was  his  extraordinary  kindness  of  heart,  that  from 
duty  to  the  king,  and  regard  for  them,  he  assented  to  their 
request. 

"  Thereupon,  the  bishop's  retainers  made  ready,  and  the 
garrison  and  the  whole  body  of  citizens  assembled,  declar- 
ing that  they  would  encounter  the  enemy  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Severn,  if  the  bishop  would  give  them  leave.  Taking 
their  arms,  and  being  arrayed  for  battle,  they  met  the 
bishop,  as  he  was  going  to  the  castle,  and  besought  him  to 
grant  their  desire,  to  which  he  freely  assented.     '  Go,'  said 

1  Florence  of  Worcester. 
* 


*- 


-* 


298 


Lives  of  tlie  Saints. 


[.January  19, 


he,  '  My  sons,  go  in  peace,  go  in  confidence,  with  God's 
blessing  and  mine.  Trusting  in  God,  I  promise  you  that  no 
sword  shall  hurt  you  this  day.  Be  loyal,  and  do  valiantly 
for  the  safety  of  the  people  and  the  city.'"  The  victory 
was  complete.  The  rebels  were  routed,  and  the  king's 
liege-men  and  the  bishop's  retainers  returned  home  in 
triumph,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man.1 

He  died  in  the  year  1095,  on  January  the  19th,  and  was 
buried  with  his  ring  on  his  finger.  "  God  suffered  no  man 
to  remove  from  his  finger  the  ring  with  which  he  had 
received  episcopal  consecration,"  says  Florence  of  Wor- 
cester ;  "  that  the  holy  man  might  not  appear  to  forfeit  his 
engagement  to  his  people,  to  whom  he  had  often  protested 
that  he  would  not  part  with  it  during  his  life,  nor  even  on 
the  day  of  his  burial." 

1  Florence  of  Worcester. 


88.  Fabian  and 


* 


* 


* ** 

January  20.]  S.     Fabian.  299 

January  20. 

S.  Fabian,  Pope  and  M.,  at  Rome,  a.d.  250. 

S.  Sebastian,  M.,  at  Home,  a.d.  303. 

S.  Euthymius  the  Great,  Ab.  in  Palestine,  a.d.  473. 

S.  Fechin,  Ab.,  at  Fore,  in  Ireland,  a.d.  665. 

S.  Maur,  B.  ofCesena,  in  Italy,  middle  of  nth  cent. 

S.  Benedict,  H.,  near  Fiesole,  in  Italy. 

S.  FABIAN,  POPE  AND  M.,  AT  ROME. 
(a.d.  250.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  Authorities  :  Eusebius,  lib.  vi.  c.  29  and  39  ; 
the  Liber  de  Romanis  Pontificibus  ;  S.  Jerome,  lib.  de  Eccles.  Script. 
c.  54  ;  a  letter  of  S.  Cyprian  (55)  to  Cornelius,  &c.] 

JAINT  FABIAN  succeeded  Anteros  in  the  see 

of  Rome.      It  is  said  that   Fabian  had  come 

to  Rome  out  of  the    country,    and,  by   divine 

grace,  he  was  singled  out  in  a  very  remarkable 

manner  to   be   bishop.      For,  when  all  the  brethren  had 

assembled    in    the    church   for  the   purpose   of   ordaining 

him  that  should  succeed  in  the  episcopate,  though  there 

were  many  eminent  and   illustrious    men   present,  yet   no 

one  thought  of  any  but  Fabian.     They  relate  that  a  dove, 

suddenly  fluttering  down,  rested  upon  his  head,  bringing 

up  before  their  minds  the  scene  when  the  Holy  Spirit  of 

old  came  down  on   the   Saviour.     Thereupon   the   whole 

body  exclaimed  with  one  voice,  as  if  moved  by  the  Spirit 

of  God,  "  He  is  worthy  ! " x  and  without  delay  they  took 

him  and  placed  him  upon  the  episcopal  throne. 

1  This  was  the  common  acclamation  at  the  election  of  bishops,  of  which  we 
have  many  examples  in  Philostorgius,  lib.  ix.  c.  10.  And  in  the  relation  of  things 
done  at  the  election  of  Eradius  (recorded  in  S.  Augustine's  Epistles),  we  read  that 
they  cried  out  twenty  times,  "He  is  worthy  and  just!"  and  five  times,  "He  is 
deserving,  he  is  worthy  I" 

*  Eusebius,  lib.  vi.  c.  29, 


300  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  *>. 

S.  Fabian  governed  the  Church  of  Rome  for  sixteen 
years.  He  is  said  by  some  to  have  converted  and 
baptized  the  Emperor  Philip.  "Philip,  after  a  reign  of 
seven  years,"  says  Eusebius,  "was  succeeded  by  Decius, 
who,  in  consequence  of  his  hatred  to  Philip,  raised  a 
persecution  against  the  Church,  in  which  Fabian  suffered 
martyrdom,  and  was  succeeded,  as  Bishop  of  Rome,  by 
Cornelius."1 

Relics,  in  the  churches  of  S.  Martin  de  la  Monte,  S. 
Praxedes,  a  head  and  an  arm  in  that  of  S.  Sebastian,  in 
Rome. 

In  art,  he  appears  with  the  pontifical  tiara  and  a  dove. 


S.  SEBASTIAN,  M.,  AT  ROME. 
(a.d.  303.) 

[All  the  ancient  Latin  Martyrologies.  The  Greeks  commemorate  him  on 
December  18th.  The  original  Acts  are  not  in  our  possession.  What  is 
regarded  as  the  Acts  appears  to  be  a  panegyric,  falsely  attributed  to 
S.  Ambrose,  on  S.  Sebastian's  Day.  The  incidents  are  possibly  taken 
from  the  original  Acts,  but  the  long  sermons  and  theological  instructions 
put  into  the  mouths  of  S.  Sebastian  and  Tranquillinus,  are  certainly  ora- 
torical compositions  of  the  author  who  pacses  for  S.  Ambrose.] 

S.  Sebastian  was  born  at  Narbonne,  in  Gaul,  but  his 
parents  were  of  Milan,  in  Italy,  and  he  was  brought  up  in 
that  city.  He  was  a  fervent  soldier  of  Christ  at  the  same 
time  that  he  served  in  the  army  of  the  Emperor.  He  was 
so  greatly  regarded  by  the  Emperors  Diocletian  and  Maxi- 
mian,  that  he  was  elevated  to  the  command  of  the  first 
cohort,  for  he  was  a  man  prudent,  upright  in  word  and  act, 
faithful  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit.  He  was  enabled,  by 
his  rank  and  office,  to  be  of  service  to  those  who  were  im- 

1  Ibid.  c.  39, 

& * 


* * 

January  ao.J  S.     SebasHatl.  3OI 

prisoned  for  the  faith  of  Christ.  He  relieved  their  sufferings, 
and  urged  them  to  constancy. 

Two  brothers,  Marcus  and  Marcellianus,  had  been 
accused  of  being  Christians,  and  were  expecting  execution 
in  prison,  when  their  friends,  admitted  to  see  them,  im- 
plored them  with  tears  to  save  their  lives  by  apostasy.  They 
seemed  to  waver;  they  promised  to  deliberate.  Sebastian 
heard  of  this,  and  rushed  to  save  them.  He  was  too  well 
known  to  be  refused  admittance,  and  he  entered  their 
gloomy  prison  as  an  angel  of  light. 

Tranquillinus,  the  father  of  the  two  youths,  had  obtained 
from  Agrestius  Chromatius,1  prefect  of  the  city,  a  respite  of 
thirty  days  for  them,  to  try  their  constancy ;  and,  to  second 
his  efforts,  they  had  been  placed  in  the  house  of  Nicostratus, 
the  keeper  of  the  records  (primiscrinius). 

Sebastian's  was  a  bold  and  perilous  office.  Besides  the 
two  Christian  captives,  there  were  gathered  in  the  place 
sixteen  heathen  prisoners;  there  were  the  parents  of  the 
unfortunate  youths  weeping  over  them,  to  allure  them  from 
their  threatened  fate ;  and  there  was  the  magistrate,  Nicos- 
tratus, with  his  wife  Zoe,  drawn  thither  by  the  compassion- 
ate wish  of  seeing  the  youths  snatched  from  their  fate. 
Could  Sebastian  hope  that  of  this  crowd  not  one  would  be 
found  whom  a  sense  of  official  duty,  or  a  hope  of  pardon, 
or  hatred  of  Christianity,  might  impel  to  betray  him,  if  he 
avowed  himself  a  Christian? 

The  room  was  illumined  only  by  an  opening  in  the  roof, 
and  Sebastian,  anxious  to  be  seen  by  all,  stood  in  the  ray 
which  shot  through  it ;  strong  and  brilliant  where  it  beat,  but 
leaving  the  rest  of  the  apartment  dark.  It  broke  against 
the  gold  and  jewels  of  his  rich  tribune's  armour,  and  as  he 
moved,  scattered  itself  in  brilliant  reflections  into  the  darkest 

1  This  name  presents  a  difficulty,  as  it  does  not  appear  in  the  lists  of  the  prefects 
of  the  city.  Bollandus  suggests,  not  very  plausibly,  that  on  account  of  his  secession 
from  the  state  religion,  his  name  was  expunged. 


* . % 

302  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  jo. 

recesses  of  the  gloom ;  while  it  beamed  with  serene  steadi- 
ness on  his  uncovered  head.1 

"O  most  happy  soldiers  of  Christ,  valiant  warriors  in 
the  fight  I  are  ye  now,  after  having  undergone  so  much  that 
ye  touch  the  palm,  are  ye  now,  I  ask,  about  to  withdraw 
from  the  fight  and  lay  aside  the  crown,  overcome  by  these 
blandishments?  Let  them  see  in  you  the  fortitude  of 
Christian  soldiers,  sheathed  rather  in  fortitude  than  in 
armour  of  iron.  Can  it  be  that  you  will  cast  away  the 
rewards  of  victory  at  the  instigation  of  a  woman  ?  Can  it  be 
that  half-conquering  already,  you  will  bow  your  necks  to  be 
trampled  on  by  the  deadly  foe  ?"  Words  of  reproach  and 
threatening  and  promise  poured  from  his  lips.2 

The  scene  that  followed  baffles  description.  All  were 
moved  ;  all  wept.  Marcus  and  Marcellianus  were  ashamed 
of  their  late  hesitation.  Tranquillinus  and  his  wife  were 
convinced ;  the  prisoners  joined  in  the  tumult  of  these  new 
affections ;  and  Sebastian  saw  himself  surrounded  by  a  group 
of  men  and  women  smitten  by  grace,  softened  by  its  in- 
fluences, and  subdued  by  its  power;  yet  all  was  lost  it  one 
remained  behind.  He  saw  the  danger,  not  to  himself,  but 
to  the  Church,  if  a  sudden  discovery  were  made,  and  to 
those  souls  fluttering  in  uncertain  faith. 

Zoe  knelt  before  Sebastian  with  a  beseeching  look  and 
outstretched  arm,  but  she  spoke  not  a  word,  for,  six  years 
before,  her  tongue  had  been  paralysed  in  a  severe  sickness, 
and  she  had  not  spoken  since.  Sebastian  looked  at  her 
earnestly,  and  read  in  her  signs,  and  the  expression  of  her 

1  This  is  H.  E.  Cardinal  Wiseman's  elegant  description  ol  the  scene,  which 
accords  exactly  with  the  Acts.  This  incident  is  not  due  to  his  imagination,  but  oc- 
curs in  the  Acts  in  these  words  : — "  Igitur,  cum  ha;c  Beatissimus  Sebastianus,  in* 
dutus  chlamyde,  succinctus  baltheo,  ex  suo  ore  proferret,  subito  per  unam  fere  horam 
splendore  nimio  de  coelo  veniente  illuminatus  est." 

*  In  the  version  of  the  Acts  by  S.  Ambrose,  the  whole  lengthy  exhortation  is 
given.  This  can  hardly,  however,  be  original,  but  is  the  composition  of  the  author 
who  passes  for  S.  Ambrose. 

* — — — >J, 


*- 


-* 


January  20.]  Sm  Sedasttan.  303 

countenance,    that   she  believed   in  her  heart     Then  he 
asked  wherefore  she  spoke  not,  and  it  was  told  him  that  she 
was  dumb.     Then,  raising  his  hand  and  signing  her  mouth 
with  a  cross,  he  said,  "  If  I  am  the  true  servant  of  Christ, 
and  those  things  are  true  which  I  have  spoken,  and  thou 
O,  woman,  hast  heard,  may  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  whom 
I  believe,  restore  the  use   of  thy  tongue,   and  open   thy 
mouth,  as  he  opened  the  mouth  of  his  prophet  Zachariah." 
Then  suddenly  the  woman  cried  out : — "Blessed  art  thou, 
and  blessed  is  the  word  of  thy  mouth,  and  blessed  are  they 
that  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  And 
when   Nicostratus   saw  the  grace  of  God  revealed  by  the 
healing  of  his  wife,  he  fell  at  the  feet   of  Sebastian,   and 
offered  to  break  the  chains  off  the  hands  and  feet  of  the 
confessors,  and  let  them  go ;  but  to  this  they  would  not  con- 
sent.   Then  Nicostratus  transferred  them  all,  with  Tranquil- 
linus  and  his  wife,  to  the  full  liberty  of  his  house,  after 
having   obtained   leave   from   Claudius   the  keeper  of  the 
prisons  (  Commentariensis.)     Sebastian  lost  no  time  in  put- 
ting them  under  the  care  of  the  priest  Polycarp,  of  the  title, 
or  parish  of  S.  Pastor,  who  diligently  instructed  them,  night 
and  day.     In  the  meantime,  Claudius,  the  gaoler,  came  to 
the  house  of  Nicostratus,  and  said,  "  The  prefect  is  much 
disturbed  at  my  having  allowed  the  prisoners  to  be  in  your 
house ;  and  therefore  he  requires  you  to  appear  before  him 
and  explain  the  reason." 

Nicostratus  at  once  went  to  the  prefect,  and  told  him  that 
he  had  taken  the  Christian  prisoners  into  his  own  house, 
with  the  purpose  of  moving  them  the  more  easily  to  apos- 
tasy. "  You  did  well,"  said  Chromatius,  and  he  dismissed 
him.  On  his  way  home,  the  keeper  of  the  rolls  told  Clau- 
dius the  truth ;  and  when  he  related  how  Sebastian  had 
healed  his  wife,  Claudius  exclaimed  in  an  agony  of  eager- 
ness : — "Send  him  to  my  house,  I  have  two  lads,  sons  of  my 


*- 


-* 


. * 

304  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »<>. 

first  wife,  one  dropsical,  the  other  a  poor  wretched  cripple. 
If  he  cured  your  wife,  he  can  heal  my  sons."  Then  run- 
ning home,  he  brought  his  two  boys,  one  in  each  arm,  to 
the  house  of  Nicostratus,  and  introduced  them  into  the  com- 
pany of  the  neophytes,  and  casting  the  boys  in  the  midst, 
implored  the  disciples  to  recover  his  poor  children,  and  de- 
claring that  he  believed  with  all  his  heart.  Then  Polycarp, 
the  priest,  took  the  names  of  the  whole  company,  they  were 
sixty-eight  in  all,  and  he  baptized  them.  Now  when  the  two 
boys  rose  from  the  baptismal  water,  they  were  healed  of  their 
infirmities;  and  Tranquillinus,  who  had  suffered  excruciating 
torments  from  the  gout,  also  felt  that  he  was  made  whole. 

Chromatius,  the  prefect,  was  afterwards  converted,  and 
having  resigned  his  office,  retired  into  privacy. 

The  care  which  Sebastian  took  of  the  Christian  prisoners, 
and  the  efforts  he  made  to  stimulate  their  courage,  could 
not  long  remain  secret;  and  he  was  denounced  to  the 
Emperor  Diocletian,  who  sent  for  him,  and  in  a  rage, 
exclaimed,  "  What !  I  have  had  thee  about  my  person,  and 
thou  hast  conspired  against  my  safety  !" 

S.  Sebastian  answered,  "  I  pray  daily  for  thy  safety  and 
for  the  prosperity  of  the  state,  to  the  God  of  heaven,  for  J 
reckon  no  succour  can  be  got  from  gods  of  stone." 

Then  Diocletian  ordered  him  to  be  taken  out  into  a  field, 
and  be  shot  to  death  with  arrows.  Therefore  the  soldiers 
placed  him  as  their  mark,  and  left  him  for  dead,  bristling 
with  arrows.  But  a  certain  woman,  named  Irene,  the  widow 
of  the  martyr  Castulus,  finding  that  he  still  lived,  took  him 
to  her  lodgings,  at  the  head  of  the  great  staircase  of  the 
palace,  and  there  nursed  him  till  he  was  convalescent.  And 
one  day,  as  he  began  to  walk,  the  Emperor  passed.  Then 
he  started  out  to  the  head  of  the  stairs.  He  had  heard  the 
familiar  trumpet  notes,  which  told  him  of  the  Emperor's 
approach,  and  he  had  risen,  and  crept  to  greet  him. 

* % 


S.   SEBASTIAN. 
From  a  Drawing  by  Lucas  Schraudolf. 


Jan.,  p.  304.] 


[Jan. 


tip % 

January  ao.]  S.    EuthyMtUS.  $°5 

"  Diocletian!"  he  cried  out,  in  a  hollow  but  distinct  voice; 
"  False  are  the  words  of  thy  idol  priests,  my  sovereign,  who 
say  that  we  Christians  are  adversaries  to  the  state ;  who 
cease  not  to  pray  for  thy  welfare  and  that  of  the  realm." 

"  What  I"  exclaimed  the  Emperor  ;  "  Art  thou  Sebastian?" 
"I  am  Sebastian,  raised  as  from  death  to  witness  against 
thee  for  thy  cruel  persecution  of  the  servants  of  Christ." 

Then  the  Emperor,  in  a  rage,  ordered  him  to  be  taken 
into  the  court-yard  of  the  palace,  and  to  be  beaten  to  death 
with  clubs,  and  his  body  to  be  cast  into  the  sewer. 

And  when  all  this  had  been  done,  a  devout  woman, 
named  Lucina,  by  night  rescued  the  body  from  the  place 
where  it  had  been  cast,  and  buried  it  reverently  in  her  own 
garden. 

A  church  was  afterwards  built  over  his  relics  by  Pope 
Damasus. 

Patron  of  Chiemsee,  Mannheim,  Oetting,  Palma,  Rome, 
Soissons  ;  of  makers  of  military  laces,  of  archers,  makers 
of  fencing  foils. 

Relics,  at  Soissons,  the  head  at  Eternach,  in  Luxemburg, 
portions  at  Mantua,  at  Malaga,  Seville,  Toulouse,  Munich, 
Paris,  Tournai,  in  the  Cathedral;  Antwerp,  in  the  church  of 
the  Jesuits ;  and  at  Brussels,  in  the  Court  Chapel. 

In  art,  can  always  be  recognized  as  a  young  man,  trans- 
fixed with  arrows. 

S.  EUTHYMIUS  THE  GREAT,  AB. 

(a.d.  473.) 

[Greek  and  Latin,  and  Syriac  Martyrologies.  Authority,  his  life  by 
Cyrillus,  monk  of  his  monastery,  in  543,  sixty  years  after  the  death  of 
Euthymius  ;  he  derived  much  of  his  information  from  an  old  monk  who  had 
been  the  disciple  of  the  Saint.] 

There  was  a  man  named  Paul,  with  his  wife  Dionysia,  at 
Melitene  in  Armenia,  good  Christians,  loving  one  another, 
vol.  1.  20 

* — ^ 


* -* 

306  Lives  of  the  Saints.  yanuaryao. 

but  childless.  Then,  with  one  consent,  they  entered  into 
the  church  of  the  Martyr  Polyeuctus,  and  abode  there 
many  days  instant  in  prayer,  that  they  might  be  given  a 
son. 

And  after  this  had  continued  some  time,  in  a  vision  of 
the  night,  the  martyr  appeared  to  them,  and  said,  "Your 
prayer  is  heard,  now  therefore  depart  in  peace ;  and  when 
the  child  is  born,  let  him  be  named  Euthymius,  or  the 
'Well  disposed.'" 

Now  it  fell  out,  that  shortly  after  the  child's  birth,  Paul 
died.  Then  Dionysia,  the  widow,  took  her  babe,  and  went 
to  her  brother  Eudoxius,  the  chaplain  or  confessor  to  the 
Bishop  of  Melitene,  and  gave  the  little  boy  to  him,  as 
Hannah  presented  Samuel  to  Eli,  that  he  should  minister 
before  the  Lord. 

After  that,  Dionysia  was  ordained  deaconess,  and  in  due 
course  Euthymius  received  the  sacred  orders  of  lector,  and 
sub-deacon,  and  finally  was  made  priest,  and  appointed  to 
the  oversight  of  all  the  monasteries  in  the  diocese. 

Euthymius  often  visited  the  church  of  S.  Polyeuctus,  and 
loving  solitude,  was  wont  to  spend  whole  nights  in  prayer 
on  a  neighbouring  mountain.  But  the  love  of  being  alone 
with  God  grew  upon  him,  so  that  he  could  not  rest,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  secretly  deserted  his  native  place, 
and  went  to  Jerusalem,  where  he  visited  the  holy  places ; 
and  then  retired  into  the  desert,  near  the  Laura  of  Paran,1 
he  found  a  cell  in  every  way  convenient,  and  there  he 
abode.  Now  there  was  a  monk  near  his  cell,  named 
Theoctistus,  and  him  Euthymius  loved  greatly,  for  he  was 
a  good  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  "  The  love  of  the 
same  things,"  says  his  biographer;  "and  society  in  labour, 
united  them  so  closely  in  the  bond  of  charity,  and  to  such 

1  A  I  .aura  was  a  colony  of  eremites  dwelling  in  separate  hovels  or  caves,  and 
differed  in  this  partitular  from  a  monastery,  where  all  dwelt  under  one  roof. 

* & 


January  20.]  ,£     EutkymiUS.  S°7 

an  extent  were  their  spirits  blended  in  affection,  that  each 
was,  as  it  were,  planted  in  the  heart  of  the  other." 

After  five  years  spent  in  Paran,  Euthymius  resolved,  with 
his  friend  Theoctistus,  to  fly  into  a  solitude,  more  remote. 
So  they  went  away  into  the  barren  mountains,  near  the  Dead 
Sea ;  and  there,  searching  for  a  place  where  they  might 
dwell,  they  discovered  a  ravine,  down  which  a  torrent 
poured,  and  in  the  face  of  the  rock  was  a  cave.  Then  they 
entered  into  it  and  there  they  abode,  living  on  vegetables, 
and  drinking  the  water  of  the  brook.  Now  it  fell  out,  one 
day,  that  some  shepherds  came  that  way,  and  ascending  to 
the  cavern  looked  in,  and  were  frightened  when  they  saw 
two  men,  very  haggard,  with  long  beards.  But  Euthymius 
bade  them  be  of  good  cheer,  for  they  were  hermits  who 
dwelt  there  on  account  of  their  sins.  Then  the  shepherds 
noised  it  abroad,  and  many  disciples  came  to  them,  and 
they  built  a  monastery,  and  Euthymius  appointed  Theoc- 
tistus to  rule  over  it ;  and  then  he  retired,  loving  solitude, 
into  a  remote  hermitage,  whence  he  issued  forth  only  on  the 
Sabbath  (Saturday)  and  the  Sunday.  He  enjoined  on  the 
monks  to  be  diligent  in  work,  and  never  to  allow  their  hands 
to  be  idle.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  if  men  in  the  world  labour  to 
support  themselves,  their  wives,  families  and  children,  how 
much  rather  we,  who  have  the  poor  depending  upon  us." 

Having  cured  Terebon,  the  son  of  Aspebetes,  of  paralysis, 
which  afflicted  one  side  of  his  body,  Aspebetes,  chief  of  the 
Arabs  in  Palestine,  desired  baptism,  and  took  the  name  of 
Peter.  Such  multitudes  of  Arabs  followed  his  example,  that 
Juvenal,  patriarch  of  Jerusalem,  ordained  him  bishop  of  the 
wandering  tribes,  and  he  assisted  at  the  council  of  Ephesus 
against  Nestorius,  in  431. 

He  built  S.  Euthymius  a  Laura  on  the  right  hand  of  the 
road  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  in  the  year  420.  Euthymius 
could  never  be  prevailed  upon  to  depart  from  his  rule  of 

* * 


308  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  *>. 

strict  solitude ;  but  he  governed  his  monks  by  superiors  to 
whom  he  gave  directions  on  Sundays. 

"  Do  not  suppose,"  said  he  to  his  monks,  "  that  you  come 
into  the  desert  to  leave  temptation  behind  you."  And  then 
he  related  to  them  the  following  story.  There  was  in  Egypt 
a  man  afflicted  with  a  very  violent  temper.  So  he  ran  away 
from  his  home  into  a  monastery,  where  he  thought  he  would 
be  free  from  incentives  to  anger.  But  there  he  was  fre- 
quently irritated  by  the  other  monks  who,  unintentionally, 
gave  him  annoyance.  So  he  determined  to  escape  wholly 
from  the  society  of  men,  and  then  said  he,  I  cannot  give 
way,  for  I  shall  never  be  tempted.  So  he  took  with  him 
only  an  earthenware  bowl,  out  of  which  to  drink,  and  he 
hid  himself  in  a  remote  desert. 

Now,  one  day,  he  was  fetching  water  from  the  spring,  and 
he  upset  the  bowl,  and  the  water  fell ;  then  he  dipped  the 
vessel  again,  and  as  he  was  going,  his  foot  tripped,  and 
again  the  water  was  spilt ;  he  dipped  it  once  more,  but  his 
hand  shook,  and  he  overturned  the  basin  a  third  time.  Then, 
flaming  into  a  furious  passion,  he  dashed  the  bowl  against  a 
stone,  and  shivered  it  to  fragments.  And  when  his  anger 
cooled  down,  he  looked  at  his  shattered  bowl,  and  said, 
"  Oh  fool  that  I  am  !  how  can  I  escape  the  temptation 
which  is  in  my  nature  !  If  I  have  not  men  to  be  angry  with 
I  rage  against  an  earthen  pot !" 

There  was  a  man  in  the  Laura,  named  Auxentius,  whom 
the  steward  told  to  attend  upon  the  mules,  for  "he  was  apt 
at  mule-grooming."  But  Auxentius  indignantly  refused, 
saying,  he  came  to  the  monastery  to  be  a  monk,  and  not  an 
ostler.  And  when  he  constantly  refused,  on  the  next 
Lord's  Day,  the  steward  complained  to  Euthymius,  who  sent 
for  the  man.  Then  Euthymius  said,  "  My  son,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  some  one  of  the  brethren  should  attend  to  the 
stables.     Why  shouldst  not  thou  do  this  ?" 

*— ■ — 4< 


* . £, 

Januaiyao.]  S.    EuthymVUS.  3O9 

"  Because,"  answered  Auxentius,  "  I  don't  like  it" 
"  Alas,"  exclaimed  the  abbot ;  "  I  see  thou  art  not  imi- 
tating Him  who  said,  I  came  not  to  do  mine  own  will, 
I  came  not  to  be  ministered  to,  but  to  minister." 

When  the  monk  still  refused,  Euthymius  said  sadly, 
"  Well,  go  thy  way,  and  see  if  self-will  will  make  thee 
happy." 

And  presently  the  man  fell  ill,  and  in  his  sickness  his 
conscience  smote  him,  and  he  sent  for  the  abbot,  and  he 
said,  "  I  was  wrong,  I  will  look  to  the  mules." 

Then  Euthymius  healed  him,  and  Auxentius  did  as  was 
required  of  him. 

S.  Euthymius  showed  great  zeal  against  the  Nestorian 
and  Eutychian  heretics.  The  turbulent  Empress  Eudocia, 
after  the  death  of  her  husband,  Theodosius,  retired  into 
Palestine,  and  there  continued  to  favour  them  with  her  pro- 
tection. Aroused  by  domestic  affliction,  the  captivity  of  her 
daughter  and  grand-daughters,  and  the  plunder  of  Rome,  she 
sent  to  ask  advice  of  S.  Simeon  Stylites.  He  answered  that 
her  misfortunes  were  the  consequence  of  her  sins,  and  espe- 
cially of  her  having  persecuted  the  orthodox  faith ;  and 
ordered  her  to  follow  the  direction  of  Euthymius.  By  the 
advice  of  S.  Euthymius,  she  renounced  Eutychianism,  and 
embraced  the  Catholic  communion.  In  459,  she  sent 
word  to  Euthymius  that  she  was  coming  to  see  him,  and 
that  she  designed  settling  on  his  Laura  sufficient  revenues 
for  its  subsistence.  He  returned  her  answer  that  she  need 
not  do  so,  and  that  she  must  prepare  for  death.  She 
obeyed,  and  died  shortly  after.  One  of  the  last  disciples  of 
our  Saint  was  the  young  S.  Sabas,  whom  he  dearly  loved.  In 
the  year  473,  on  the  13th  January,  Martyrius  and  Elias,  two 
monks,  to  whom  S.  Euthymius  had  foretold  that  they  should 
become  patriarchs  of  Jerusalem,  came  with  several  others  to 
visit  him,  and  to    conduct   him    to  his   Lent  retreat  in  a 

* % 


310  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January » 

solitary  place.  He  said  that  he  would  stay  with  them 
all  that  week,  and  leave  them  on  the  Saturday  following, 
meaning,  by  death.  Three  days  after,  he  gave  orders  that  a 
general  vigil  should  be  observed  on  the  eve  of  S.  Anthony's 
Day ;  on  this  he  made  a  discourse  to  his  spiritual  children. 
He  appointed  Elias  to  be  his  successor,  and  foretold  that 
Domitian,  a  beloved  disciple,  who  had  long  ministered  to 
him,  should  follow  him  out  of  this  world,  on  the  seventh 
day,  which  happened  accordingly.  Euthymius  died  on 
Saturday,  the  20th  of  January,  being  ninety-five  years  old, 
of  which  he  had  spent  sixty-eight  in  his  beloved  deserts. 


S.  FECHIN,  AB.  OF  FORE. 

(a.d.  665.) 

[Authority,  a  life  written  in  the  12th  century,  from  tradition.  Like 
so  many  of  these  Irish  lives  which  were  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation,  it  contains  many  improbabilities.] 

S.  Fechin  was  abbot  of  Foure,  in  West  Meath,  where  he 
governed  three  hundred  monks.  He  is  said  to  have  pitied 
the  monks  engaged  in  grinding  their  corn  in  querns,  he 
therefore  brought  water  from  a  marsh  to  the  monastery,  by 
cutting  a  tunnel  through  the  rock,  and  then  established  a 
water  mill.  Of  this  Giraldus  Cambrensis  relates  the  follow- 
ing : — There  is  a  mill  at  Foure,  which  S.  Fechin  made  most 
miraculously  with  his  own  hands,  in  the  side  of  a  certain 
rock.  No  women  are  allowed  to  enter  either  this  mill  or 
the  church  of  the  saint;  and  the  mill  is  held  in  as  much 
reverence  by  the  natives  as  any  of  the  churches  dedicated  to 
him.1  The  Saint  finding  a  poor  leper,  full  of  sores  one  day, 
took  him  to  the  Queen,  and  bade  her  minister  to  him  as  to 

1  Topography  of  Ireland,  c.  $2. 


January  20.]  .S*.    Feckifl.  3 1  1 

Christ.  She  bravely  overcame  her  repugnance,  and  tended 
him  with  gentle  care.1  Fechin  was  the  son  of  Coelcharna, 
descendant  of  Eochad  Fionn,  brother  to  the  famous  king 
Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles,  and  his  mother  Lassair  was  of 
the  royal  blood  of  Munster.  When  fit  to  be  sent  to  school 
he  was  placed  under  S.  Nathy  of  Achonry.  Having  finished 
his  studies  he  was  ordained  priest,  and  retired  to  a  solitary 
place  at  Fore  in  Westmeath,  there  to  live  as  a  hermit.  But 
he  was  followed  by  many  disciples,  and  Fore  became  a 
monastery  of  three  hundred  monks.  He  also  established  a 
religious  house  in  the  island  of  Immagh,  near  the  coast  of 
Galway.  The  inhabitants  were  then  pagans,  but  Fechin  and 
his  monks  converted  them.  His  influence  was  very  great 
with  the  kings  and  princes  of  his  age.  He  died  of  a  dread- 
ful pestilence  which  swept  Ireland  in  a.d.  665. 

1  Here  occurs  a  very  favourite  incident  in  the  lives  of  these  Irish  saints  ;  it  shall 
be  given  in  Latin.  The  same  is  told  of  S.  Mochua  and  others.  "  Leprosus  ad 
Reginam  dixit :  Nares  meas  in  ore  tuo  suge,  et  phlegma  inde  extrahe.  At  ilia 
viriliter  agens,  sicut  imperavit  fecit,  et  phlegma  in  linteum  posuit  ;  iterum  quoque 
ei  mandavit,  ut  similiter  faceret,  et  id  quod  extraheret,  S.  Fechino  reservaret." 
When  the  Queen  looked  into  the  handkerchief,  she  found  two  clots  of  solid  gold, 
one  of  which  she  retained,  the  other  she  gave  to  S.  Fechin.  The  incident  I  give 
as  characteristic,  rather  than  edifying. 

An  Irish  life  has  been  recovered  in  MS.  of  1329,  and  published  by  Whitley  Stokes, 
in  the  "  Revue  Celtique"  for  1891,  pp.  318-53. 


The  Peacock  as  a  Christian  Emblem. 


g, — -* 


r* _ £, 

312  Lives  of  the  Saints.  Llanuao  -«. 


January  21. 

SS.  Fructuosus,  B.  M.,  Augurius,  and  Eulogius,  DD.,MM.,  at  Tarragona, 

in  Spain,  a.d.  259. 
S.  Patroclus,  M.,  at  Troyes,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  272. 
S.  Agnes,  V.  M.,  at  Rome,  circ.  a.d.  303. 
S.  Epiphanius,  B.  o/Pavia,  in  Italy,  a.d.  496. 
S.  Meinkad,  H.  M.,  at  Einsiedeln,  in  Switzerland,  a.d.  861. 

SS.  FRUCTUOSUS,  B.  M.,  AUGURIUS  AND  EULO- 
GIUS, DD.,  MM. 

(A.D.   259.) 

[Roman  Martyrology,  those  of  Usuardus,  Bede,  Notker,  Ado,  &c.  The 
perfectly  genuine  Acts,  which  are  extant,  were  read  in  the  Church  on  this 
day,  as  S.  Augustine  testifies  in  his  sermon  for  their  commemoration.] 

flALERIAN  and  Gallienus  being  emperors,  1^Emi- 
lian  and  Bassus  consuls,  on  January  16th,  being 
the  Lord's-day,  Fructuosus,  the  Bishop,  Augurius 
and  Eulogius,  the  deacons,  were  taken.     Fruc- 
tuosus was  in  bed,  but  hearing  the  tramp  of  the  officers,  he 
rose  at  once  and  went  out  bare-foot.2    To  whom  the  soldiers 
said,  "  Come,  the  governor  wants  thee  and  thy  deacons." 
Fructuosus  said,  "  Let  us  go,  but  please,  let  me  put  on  my 
shoes."     The  soldiers  said,  "  As  thou  desirest,  shoe  thyself." 
As  soon  as  they  were  come,   they  were  put  into  prison. 
Fructuosus,  certain  and  glorying  in  the  crown  of  the  Lord, 
to  which  he  was  called,   prayed  without  ceasing.     There 
were  also  with  him  some  of  the  brethren,  praying  him  to 
have  them  in  remembrance.     Next  day,  he  baptized  in  the 
prison  our  brother  Rogatian.       And  they  were  six  days  in 

1  This  account  is  a  translation  of  the  Acts;  it  is  a  very  fair  specimen  of  the 
original  documents  as  written  by  the  Church  notaries  at  the  time.      The    style 
being  too  simple  to  please  the  taste  of  later  ages,  too  many  of  them  were  re-written 
in  florid  diction,  and  long  speeches  were  put  in  the  martyrs*  mouths. 
I  •  One  reading  is  iruolutui,  another  in  soleit, 

* ^ 


* % 

January  «j  S.  Fructuosus  and  Companions.       313 

prison,  and  then  were  brought  forth.  It  was  on  the  21st 
January,  and  a  Friday,  that  they  were  heard.  ^Emilian,  the 
governor,  said,  "  Let  Fructuosus,  the  Bishop,  Augurius  and 
Eulogius  be  brought  forward."  According  to  custom  it  was 
said,  "  They  are  here."  ^Emilian,  the  governor,  said  to 
Fructuosus,  the  Bishop,  "Hast  thou  heard  what  the  Em- 
perors have  ordered !"  Fructuosus,  the  Bishop,  said,  "  I  do 
not  know  what  their  orders  are;  I  am  a  Christian."  yEmilian 
said,  "  They  have  ordered  that  the  gods  be  worshipped." 
Fructuosus  said,  "I  worship  one  God,  who  made  heaven 
and  earth,  the  sea  and  all  that  therein  is."  ^Emilian  said, 
"  Do  you  know  that  there  are  many  gods  ?"  The  Bishop 
said,  "  No,  I  do  not."  "  Then  thou  soon  shalt,"  said  the 
governor.  Fructuosus,  the  Bishop,  looked  up  to  the  Lord, 
and  began  to  pray  within  himself.  ^Emilian  said,  "Who 
will  be  heard,  who  feared,  who  adored,  if  the  gods  and  the 
countenance  of  the  Emperor  are  despised  ?"  Then  he  said 
to  Augurius,  the  deacon,  "  Don't  listen  to  the  words  of 
Fructuosus."  Augurius  answered,  "  I  worship  the  Almighty 
God."  ^Emilian,  the  governor,  said  to  Eulogius,  the  deacon, 
"  Dost  thou  not  worship  Fructuosus?"  "  By  no  means,"  said 
Eulogius,  "but  I  worship  the  same  God  as  does  Fructuosus." 
vEmilian  said  to  Fructuosus,  "  Art  thou  a  Bishop  ?"  Fruc- 
tuosus answered,  "  I  am."  "  You  were  one,"  said  the 
Governor,  and  he  ordered  them  to  be  burnt  alive. 

And  when  Fructuosus,  the  Bishop,  and  his  deacons,  were 
led  into  the  amphitheatre,  the  people  began  to  mourn  for 
Fructuosus,  for  he  was  greatly  beloved,  not  by  the  brethren 
only,  but  also  by  the  heathen.  For  he  was  a  vessel  of  elec- 
tion and  a  teacher  of  the  people.  And  when  some,  in 
brotherly  charity,  offered  them  a  spiced  cup  to  drink,  he 
said,  "  The  hour  of  breaking  fast  is  not  yet  come."  For  it 
was  the  fourth  hour,  though  indeed  they  had  solemnly  cele- 
brated the  station  (fast)  on  the  fourth  day  (Wednesday)  in 

* i 


*- 


-# 


314  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  aL 

the  prison.  Therefore  joyously  on  the  sixth  day  (Friday) 
they  hastened  to  conclude  this  station  (fast)  with  prophets 
and  martyrs  in  Paradise.  And  when  they  had  come  to  the 
amphitheatre,  one,  named  Augustalis,  a  lector,  ran  to  him, 
with  tears,  beseeching  him  to  suffer  him  to  unloose  his  shoes. 
But  the  blessed  martyr  said,  "  Stand  aside,  I  can  put  off  my 
own  shoes."  And  when  he  had  done  so,  our  brother  and 
fellow-soldier,  Felix,  went  up  to  him,  and  took  his  right  hand, 
asking  him  to  remember  him.1  To  him  S.  Fructuosus 
replied  in  a  clear  voice,  so  that  all  heard,  "It  behoves  me 
to  hold  in  mind  the  whole  Catholic  Church,  extending  from 
east  to  west."  Then,  as  he  was  in  the  gate  of  the  amphi- 
theatre, ready  to  advance  to  his  unfading  crown,  rather  than 
to  his  pains,  as  the  officers  saw,  and  the  brethren  heard,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  urged  and  spake,  Fructuosus  the  Bishop, 
exclaimed,  "  A  pastor  will  not  be  lacking  to  you,  nor  will  the 
love  and  promises  of  the  Lord  fail,  now  or  hereafter.  This 
which  ye  behold  is  the  infirmity  of  one  hour."  And  when 
the  bands  wherewith  their  hands  were  tied  had  been  burnt 
through,  rejoicing,  they  cast  themselves  on  their  knees,  sure 
of  the  resurrection,  and  having  formed  the  sign  of  victory,2 
they  poured  forth  their  souls,  praying  to  the  Lord. 

The  brethren,  sad  as  if  bereft  of  a  shepherd,  endured  their 
solitude ;  not  that  they  lamented  Fructuosus,  but  rather  they 
desired  to  be  mindful  of  the  faith  and  passion  of  each. 
When  night  came,  they  hastened  to  the  amphitheatre  with 
wine,  with  which  to  extinguish  the  charred  bodies,  which 
being  done,  they  collected  the  ashes  of  the  martyrs,  and 
each  carried  away  a  portion.  But  neither  in  this  did  the 
marvellous  works  of  the  Lord  fail ;  that  the  faith  of  the 
believers  might  be  stimulated,   and  an  example  might  be 

1  That  is,  to  intercede  for  him   when  he,  the  martyr,  stood   in  the  presence   of 
Christ  in  Paradise. 
•  That  is,  extending  their  arms,  so  that  they  formed  the  symbol  of  the  Cross. 


*" 


-* 


January  ax.]  S.     PdtrOCluS.  3  I5 

given  to  the  little  ones.  After  his  passion,  Fructuosus  ap- 
peared to  the  brethren,  and  exhorted  them  to  restore,  with- 
out delay,  what  each  had  carried  off  of  the  ashes,  out  of 
love,   that   they  might  be   laid  altogether  in   one   place.1 

Fructuosus  in  Spanish  Frutos,  in  French  Fruteux. 

Patron  of  Taragona. 

Relics,  in  the  Benedictine  monastery,  near  the  Porto  Fino, 
at  Genoa;  some  portions,  however,  in  the  church  of  S.  Mon- 
tana, at  Barcelona. 


S.  PATROCLUS,  M. 

(ABOUT   A.D.    272.) 

[From  the  Acts  published  by  Bollandus,  an  early  recension  of  the  original 
Acts.] 

When  the  Emperor  Aurelian  was  in  Gaul,  he  came  to 
Troyes,  and  hearing  that  there  was  a  Christian  there,  named 
Patroclus,  he  ordered  him  to  be  brought  before  him,  when 
the  following  examination  was  had  of  him  : — 

Aurelian — "  What  is  thy  name  ?"  He  answered,  "  I  am 
called  Patroclus." 

Aurelian — "  What  is  thy  religion,  or,  what  God  dost  thou 
worship  ?" 

Patroclus — "  I  adore  the  living  and  true  God,  who  in- 
habits heaven,  and  regards  the  humble,  and  knows  all  things 
or  ever  they  are  done." 

Aurelian — "  Give  up  this  nonsense,  and  adore  and  serve 
our  Gods,  from  whom  you  will  derive  honour  and  riches." 

Patroclus — "  I  will  adore  only  the  true  God,  who  made 
all  things  visible  and  invisible." 

Aurelian — "Dispute  of  those  things  which  you  say  are 
true." 

1  Slightly  abbreviated  from  the  Acts. 


1- 


"* 


* — -* 

3 16  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January™. 

Patroclus — "Those  things  which  I  declare  are  true  and 
probable ;  but  I  know  why  falsehood  hates  the  truth." 

Aurelian — "  I  will  burn  you  alive  if  you  will  not  sacrifice 
to  the  gods." 

Patroclus — "  I  offer  the  sacrifice  of  praise,  and  myself  as 
a  living  victim  to  God  who  has  deigned  to  call  me  to 
martyrdom." 

Then  Aurelian  commanded — "Put  fetters  on  his  feet, 
and  hot  manacles  on  his  hands,  and  cudgel  him  on  the 
back,  and  then  shut  him  up  in  a  privy  cell,  until  I  make  up 
my  mind  what  is  to  be  done  with  him." 

Then  Patroclus  was  given  into  custody  to  one  Elegius 
until  the  third  day.  And  when  he  was  brought  forth  again  to 
be  examined,  Aurelian  greeted  him  with,  "  Well,  despiser,  hast 
thou  thought  better  of  it,  and  art  thou  ready  to  sacrifice  ?" 

Patroclus — "The  Lord  delivereth  the  souls  of  his 
servants,  and  will  not  forsake  them  that  hope  in  Him.  If 
thou  desirest  anything  out  of  my  treasures,  I  will  freely  give 
it  thee,  for,  believe  me,  thou  art  poor." 

Aurelian — "  I,  poor  1" 

Patroclus — "Thou  hast  earthly  wealth,  but  art  poor  in 
faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Aurelian — "  Enough  of  this.     Our  gods  are  mighty." 

Patroclus — "  Who  are  they  ?" 

Aurelian — "First  Apollo,  the  chief;1  then  Jove,  the 
great  god  ;  and  Diana,  the  mother  of  the  gods."2 

Patroclus — "  Why,  how  can  they  be  almighty,  when 
Apollo  kept  sheep  for  Admetus,  and  Jove  died  of  a  pain  in 
his  belly ;  and  as  for  your  Diana,  every  one  knows  she  is  the 
noon-tide  demon." 

Then  Aurelian,  inflamed  with  rage,  ordered  Patroclus  to 
be  taken  to  a  marshy  place,  and  to  be  there  executed.  But 
when  the  soldiers  led  him  to  the  bank  of  the  Seine,  which 

1  Aurelian  was  a  special  votary  of  the  sun.  *  There  is  some  blunder  here. 

* * 


S.   AGNES. 
From  the  Vienna  Missal. 


Jan.,  p.  316.] 


[Jan. 


January  ai.].  6".     AgfieS.  31  7 

had  overflowed,  Patroclus  escaped  from  them  across  the 
river,  and  took  refuge  on  a  hill  dedicated  to  idol  worship. 
Here  a  woman  saw  him,  and  she  went  straightway  and  told  the 
soldiers.  Then  they  came  upon  him,  and  smote  off  his  head. 
S.  Patroclus  in  France  is  called  S.  Parre.  He  is  one  of 
the  Patrons  of  Troyes. 

S.  AGNES,  V.   M. 

(ABOUT  A.D.  303.) 

[Roman  Martyrology,  modern  Anglican  Kalendar,  and  Greek  Mensea. 
The  Greeks  commemorate  her  on  Jan.  14th,  21st,  and  July  5th.  Her  Acts, 
attributed  to  S.  Ambrose,  are  fabulous.  S.  Ambrose  refers  to  S.  Agnes 
in  lib.  I.  De  Virginibus,  and  in  his  Commentary  on  Ps.  civ.,  and  in  lib.  1. 
c.  4  of  his  offices.  There  is  also  a  hymn  of  Prudentius,  relating  the  Acts 
of  this  famous  martyr.  The  Acts  are  a  fraudulent  composition  purporting 
to  be  by  S.  Ambrose,  and  also  pretending  to  be  based  on  ancient  docu- 
ments.] 

S.  Jerome  says  that  the  tongues  and  pens  of  all  nations 
are  employed  in  the  praises  of  this  Saint,  who  overcame 
both  the  cruelty  of  the  tyrant,  and  the  tenderness  of  her 
age,  and  crowned  the  glory  of  chastity  with  that  of  martyr- 
dom.1 S.  Augustine  observes  that  her  name  signifies  chaste 
in  Greek,  and  a  lamb  in  Latin.  She  has  been  always  looked 
upon  in  the  Church  as  a  special  patroness  of  purity.  We 
learn  from  S.  Ambrose  and  S.  Augustine,  that  she  was  only 
thirteen  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  death.  She  suffered  in 
the  persecution  of  Diocletian.  Her  riches  and  beauty 
excited  one  the  young  nobles  of  Rome,  the  son  of  the  prefect 
of  the  city,  to  attempt  to  gain  her  hand  in  marriage.  To  him 
she  answered,  "  I  am  already  engaged  to  one — to  him  alone 
I  keep  my  troth."3  And  when  he  asked  further,  her  answer 
was,  "  He  has  already  pledged  me  to  Him  by  his  betrothal 
ring,  and  has  adorned  me  with  precious  jewels.     He  has 

1  S.  Hieron,  Ep.  6.                *  S.  August.  Serm.  2^. 
* * 


* ■ * 

3 18  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u^^^'^ 

placed  a  sign  upon  my  brow  that  I  should  have  no  other  lover 
but  he.  He  has  showed  me  incomparable  treasures,  which  he 
has  promised  to  give  me  if  I  persevere.  Honey  and  milk  have 
I  drawn  from  His  lips,  and  I  have  partaken  of  His  body,  and 
with  His  blood  has  he  adorned  my  cheeks.  His  mother  is 
a  virgin,  and  His  father  knew  not  woman.  Him  the  angels 
serve,  His  beauty  sun  and  moon  admire ;  by  His  fragrance 
the  dead  are  raised,  by  His  touch  the  sick  are  healed.  His 
wealth  never  fails,  and  His  abundance  never  grows  less.  For 
Him  alone  do  I  keep  myself.  To  Him  alone  in  true  con- 
fidence do  I  commit  myself.  Whom  loving  I  am  chaste, 
whom  touching  I  am  clean,  whom  receiving  I  am  a  virgin." 

The  youth  repulsed,  and  filled  with  jealousy  against  the 
unknown  lover,  complained  to  the  father  of  Agnes,  who  was 
much  disturbed,  doubting  whether  she  were  mad,  or  had 
given  her  heart  to  some  one  without  his  knowing  it  By 
degrees  it  transpired  that  Agnes  was  a  Christian.  There- 
upon Symphronius,1  the  governor,  sent  for  her  parents,  and 
they,  alarmed  for  her  safety,  urged  her  to  submit,  and  marry 
the  young  man.  She,  however,  constantly  refused,  declaring 
that  she  desired  to  remain  a  virgin.  ''Very  well,"  said  the 
Governor ;  "  then  become  a  vestal  virgin,  and  serve  the 
goddess  in  celibacy." 

"  Do  you  think,"  answered  Agnes,  "  that  if  I  have 
refused  your  living  son,  of  flesh  and  blood,  that  I  shall  dedi- 
cate myself  to  gods  of  senseless  stone  ?" 

"  Be  not  headstrong,"  said  Symphronius ;  "  you  are  only 
a  child,  remember,  though  forward  for  your  age." 

1  Here  a  difficulty  occurs.  There  is  no  such  name  in  the  lists  of  the  prefects  of 
the  city.  According  to  this  account,  he  transferred  to  the  deputy,  Aspasius, 
the  duty  of  sentencing  her.  In  some  accounts  he  is  called  Aspasius  Paternus.  A 
I'aternus  was  prefect  of  the  city  in  264  and  26;;  an  Ovinius  Paternus  in  281. 
Aspasius  Paternus,  pro-consul  of  Africa,  in  or  about  2(0,  is  mentioned  by  S. 
Cyprian.  It  is  probable  that  Symphronius  was  not  prefect  of  the  city,  but  a  power- 
ful senator,  and  that  Aspasius  is  the  same  as  Ovinius  Paternus.  Transcribers 
made  havoc  of  the  names  in  the  Acts. 

* gi 


January «.]  S.     AgfieS.  ^)l9 

"  I  may  be  a  child,"  replied  Agnes ;  "  but  faith  dwells  not 
in  years,  but  in  the  heart" 

"  I  will  tell  you  how  I  shall  deal  with  you,"  cried  Sym- 
phronius.  "You  shall  be  stripped,  and  driven  naked  into  a 
house  of  ill-fame,  to  be  subjected  to  insult  and  outrage." 
Then  the  clothes  were  taken  off  the  slender  body  of  the  girl, 
and  she  was  forced  out  into  the  street.  In  shame  she  loosened 
the  band  that  confined  her  abundant  hair,  and  let  it  flow 
over  her  body,  and  cover  her.  "  You  may  expose  my  virtue 
to  insult,"  said  she  to  the  prefect,  "but  I  have  the  angel  of 
God  as  my  defence.  For  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God, 
whom  you  know  not,  will  be  to  me  an  impenetrable  wall, 
and  a  guardian  never  sleeping,  and  an  unflagging  protector." 

And  so  it  was.  For  when  she  was  placed  in  the  brothel, 
the  room  was  filled  with  light,  and  an  angel  brought  her  a 
robe,  white  as  snow,  to  cover  her  nakedness.  And  also, 
when  the  governor's  son  burst  in  at  the  door  in  tumultuous 
exultation,  the  angel  smote  him,  that  he  fell  senseless  on 
the  ground.1  Thereupon  there  was  an  uproar,  and  the  people 
said,  she  had  slain  him  by  her  enchantments.  But  when  he  was 
come  to  himself  he  was  ashamed,  and  the  governor  feared. 
Therefore  he  committed  the  sentencing  of  Agnes  to  the 
deputy,  Aspasius,  who  ordered  that  she  should  be  imme- 
diately executed.  And  all  the  people  rushed  after  her, 
crying,  "  Away  with  the  witch,  away  with  her  !" 

Then  a  fire  was  kindled,  and  Agnes  was  placed  upon  the 
pyre.  But  she,  lifting  up  her  hands  in  the  midst  of  the  fire, 
prayed,  "O  Father  Almighty,  who  alone  art  to  be  wor- 
shipped, feared,  and  adored,  I  give  Thee  thanks  for  that 
through  thy  holy  Son,  I  have  escaped  the  threats  of  the 
profane  tyrant,  and  with  unstained  footstep  have  passed  over 
the  filthy  slough  of  lust ;  and  now,  behold,  I  come  to  Thee, 
whom  I  have  loved,  have  sought,  and  have  always  longed 

1  ADtipbon  to  Ps.  cix.  Dixit  Dominus,  for  S.  Agnes'  Day,  and  Greek  Menaea. 


320  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January »i. 

for.  Thy  name  I  bless,  I  glorify,  world  without  end."1 
And  she  continued,  "  So  now  I  am  bedewed  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  from  on  high ;  the  furnace  grows  cold  about  me,  the 
flame  is  divided  asunder,  and  its  heat  is  rolled  back  on 
diem  that  quickened  it.  I  bless  Thee,  O  Father  of  my 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  permittest  me,  intrepid,  to  come  to 
Thee  through  the  fires.  Lo !  what  I  have  believed,  that 
now  I  see ;  what  I  have  hoped  for,  that  now  I  hold ;  what  I 
have  desired,  that  now  I  embrace.  I  confess  Thee  with  my 
lips,  and  with  my  heart,  I  altogether  desire  Thee.  I  come 
to  Thee  one  and  true  God,  who  with  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
thy  Son,  and  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  livest  and  reignest 
through  ages  of  ages.  Amen."  And  when  she  had  finished 
praying,  the  fire  became  wholly  extinct ;  then  Aspasius,  the 
deputy,  ordered  a  sword  to  be  thrust  into  her  throat.  "  But," 
said  he  suddenly,  "  why  is  she  not  bound?"  The  execu- 
tioner turned  over  a  quantity  of  manacles,  and  selected  the 
smallest  pair  he  could  find,  and  placed  them  round  her 
wrists.  Agnes  with  a  smile,  shook  her  hands,  and  they  fell, 
like  S.  Paul's  viper,  clattering  at  her  feet.2  Then  she  calmly 
knelt  down,  and  with  her  own  hands  drew  forward  her  hair, 
so  as  to  expose  her  neck  to  the  blow.3  A  pause  ensued,  for 
the  executioner  was  trembling  with  emotion,  and  could  not 
wield  his  sword.4 

As  the  child  knelt  alone,  in  her  white  robe,  with  her  head 
inclined,  her  arms  crossed  modestly  upon  her  bosom,  and 
her  locks  hanging  to  the  ground,  and  veiling  her  features, 
she  might  not  inaptly  have  been  compared  to  some  rare 
plant,  of  which  the  slender  stalk,  white  as  a  lily,  bent  with 
the  luxuriance  of  its  golden  blossom.  "  And  thus,  bathed 
in  her  rosy  blood,"  said  the  author  of  the  Acts,  "Christ 
betrothed  to  Himself  his  bride  and  martyr." 

'  This  is  appointed  as  the  antiphon  to  the  Magnificat  for  S.  Agnes'  Day. 
*  Prudentius.         '  Ibid.        4  S.  Ambrose   lib.  I.  Dt  Virgin,  c.  2. 

* 


* ; * 

januao-ji.]  S.  Meinrad.  321 

Then  her  parents,  having  no  sorrow,  but  all  joy,  took  her 
body,  and  placed  it  in  a  tomb  on  their  farm,  not  far  from 
the  city,  on  the  Numentan  road.  But  there  being  a  great 
crowd  of  Christians  following,  the  pagan  mob  and  soldiers 
pursued  them,  and  drove  them  away  with  stones  and  weapons. 
But  Emerentiana,  who  was  the  foster-sister  of  Agnes,  a  holy 
virgin,  though  only  a  catechumen,  stood  intrepid  and  motion- 
less by  the  tomb,  and  there  she  was  stoned  to  death. 

Such  is  the  story — a  romance.  For  the  facts,  such  as 
we  can  receive  them,  we  must  look  to  the  earliest  sources, 
the  words  of  S.  Ambrose,  the  verses  of  Pope  Damasus, 
and  the  poem  of  Prudentius.  Both  the  first  two  agree 
that  Agnes  was  aged  twelve  at  the  time  of  her  martyr- 
dom ;  but  there  all  agreement  ceases.  S.  Ambrose  says 
that  she  was  executed  with  the  sword,  as  also  that  she 
had  refused  a  suitor,  having  been  sought  in  marriage.  Pope 
Damasus  says  that  she  voluntarily  delivered  herself  up  to 
judgment;  that  she  was  stripped,  but  covered  by  her  long 
flowing  hair,  and  that  she  suffered  a  death  by  fire.  Pru- 
dentius declares  that  before  her  death  she  was  exposed  in 
a  lupanar.  Neither  he  nor  Damasus  knew  anything  about 
her  rejection  of  marriage.  The  three  accounts  are  irrecon- 
cilable, and  obviously  are  based  on  floating  traditions  that 
varied  greatly. 

The  Acts  were  probably  composed  in  the  5th  century,  a 
time  when  religious  romance  writing  nourished.  See  a 
critical  examination  of  the  sources  of  the  legend  in  Chabrol, 
"Diet.  d'Archeologie  Chretienne,"  vol.  i.  1907. 

S.  MEINRAD,  H.  M. 
(a.d.  861.) 

[Authority,  an  ancient  anonymous  and  perhaps  authentic  life  in  the 
library  of  the  monastery  at  Einsiedeln.] 

About  the  year  of  grace  797,  was  born  Meinrad,  Count 
of  Hohenzollern.    He  was  born  in  that  part  of  Swabia,  then 
vol.  1.                                                                           21 
*— — * 


* 

322  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u^ary". 

called  Sulichgau,  which  comprised  the  valleys  of  Steinlach 
and  Sturzel,  and  the  towns  of  Rottenburg  and  Siilchen. 

Berthold,  the  father  of  Meinrad,  had  married  the  daughter 
of  the  Count  of  Siilchen,  and  lived  with  his  wife  in  the 
strong  castle  of  Siilchen  on  the  Nekar. 

Meinrad  lived  at  home  till  he  was  ten  or  eleven  years 
old.  At  that  time  the  island  of  Reichenau  possessed  a 
Benedictine  monastery  of  great  reputation.  This  island  is 
situated  in  the  arm  of  the  lake  of  Constance,  called  the 
Zeller-see,  and  very  fertile.  The  monks  superintended 
two  schools  in  this  island,  connected  with  their  monastery, 
one  for  the  boys  who  were  in  training  to  be  monks,  the 
other  for  the  sons  of  nobles,  who  desired  to  live  in  the 
world.  At  the  time  that  Meinrad  entered  the  school,  his 
kinsman,  Hatto  of  Siilchen,  was  abbot. 

At  this  period  the  great  lesson  that  the  monks  had  to 
teach  the  Germans  was,  the  dignity  of  labour.  The  Germans 
were  a  turbulent  people,  loving  war,  harrying  their  neighbour's 
lands,  hunting  and  fighting,  despising  heartily  the  work  of 
tilling  the  land,  and  tending  cattle.  The  monks  began  to 
labour  with  their  hands,  and  by  degrees  they  broke  through 
the  prejudices  of  the  time,  and  converted  the  Germans  into 
an  agricultural  people.  In  818,  when  Meinrad  was  aged  21, 
the  first  vines  were  planted  in  Reichenau,  to  become,  to  this 
day,  the  principal  source  of  revenue  to  those  to  whom  it 
belongs.  The  position  of  Reichenau,  on  the  main  road  to 
Italy,  gave  it  a  special  importance.  Many  foreign  bishops, 
who,  halting  there  on  their  journeys,  had  carried  away  with 
them  a  pleasant  memory  of  that  quiet  isle  in  the  blue  lake, 
returned  to  it  to  spend  their  last  years  in  peace.  Thus  the 
Bishop  Egino  retired  to  Reichenau,  and  built  there,  in  799, 
the  church  of  Our  Lady,  at  the  western  extremity  of  the 
island,  which  still  exists.  At  the  time  of  the  consecration  of 
this  church,  Meinrad  was  in  the  monastery  school ;  this  was 

X __ % 


* * 

January ai.]  6*.  Meinrad.  323 

in  8 1 6.  Seven  hundred  monks,  a  hundred  novices,  and 
four  hundred  scholars  assisted  at  the  ceremony,  and  sang 
the  grand  psalms  and  Calestis  urbs  with  wondrous  effect. 

The  time  came  for  Meinrad  to  leave  school  and  decide 
on  his  career.  The  voice  of  his  heart  called  him  to  the 
service  of  God,  and  he  prepared  for  Holy  Orders.  In  821 
he  was  ordained  deacon,  and  shortly  afterwards  priest.  He 
was  fond  of  study ;  but  the  book  that  most  charmed  his  im- 
agination was  the  account  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Desert,  by 
Cassian.  The  forms  of  these  venerable  hermits  in  their 
caves  seemed  to  appear  to  him  and  beckon  him  on.  The 
voice  which  had  called  him  to  the  priesthood  said  to  him, 
"  Friend,  go  up  higher,"  and  he  took  vows  as  a  monk  in  the 
abbey  of  Reichenau,  to  his  great-uncle  Erlebald,  now  superior, 
on  the  resignation  of  Hatto  in  822.  He  was  then  aged 
twenty-five. 

At  the  upper  extremity  of  the  Lake  of  Zurich  was  the  little 
cloister  of  Bollingen,  dependant  on  that  of  Reichenau.  It 
contained  a  prior  and  twelve  brethren,  who  had  established 
themselves  in  this  wild  neighbourhood,  lost,  as  it  were, 
among  the  mountains,  to  become  the  teachers  of  a  neigh- 
bourhood buried  in  darkness.  They  established  a  school 
for  the  gentry  and  also  for  the  serfs,  in  which  they  taught 
the  boys  what  was  suitable  for  their  different  stations  in  life. 
Being  in  want  of  a  master  for  this  school,  they  sent  to  the 
abbot  of  Reichenau  for  one.  His  choice  fell  on  Meinrad, 
who  was  at  once  despatched  to  the  humble  priory,  situated 
on  the  confines  of  civilization,  to  which  the  mountains  and 
dense  forests  seemed  to  say,  "  Thus  far  and  no  further  shalt 
thou  go." 

In  his  new  situation,  Meinrad  drew  upon  himself  general 
esteem  and  affection.  His  prudence  in  the  direction  of 
souls,  his  learning,  and  his  modesty,  endeared  him  to  all. 

Nevertheless,  from  the  moment  of  his  entering  into  the 

* * 


£, — * 

324  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  ». 

priory,  Meinrad  had  felt  a  yearning  in  his  heart  for  a  life 
more  secluded,  in  which  he  could  pray  and  meditate  without 
distraction.  About  two  leagues  off,  beyond  the  lake,  rose 
Mount  Etzel,  covered  with  dense  forest.  Often  from  the 
window  of  his  cell  did  his  eyes  rest,  with  an  invincible  long- 
ing, on  the  blue  mountain.  The  desire  became,  at  length, 
so  uncontrollable,  that  he  resolved  to  visit  the  Etzel,  and 
seek  among  its  rocks  for  some  place  where  he  might  pass 
his  days  in  repose.  One  day,  accordingly,  he  took  with  him 
one  of  his  pupils,  and,  entering  a  boat,  rowed  to  the  foot  of 
the  desired  mount.  A  few  hours  after  he  was  at  the  summit, 
and  his  heart  beat  with  a  sweet  joy  at  the  sight  of  a  place  to 
which  his  yearning  soul  had  long  turned.  Behind  him  was 
a  pathless  forest  of  pines,  inhabited  by  wolves,  but  he  feared 
them  not.  He  descended  the  hill  by  the  side  of  Rappers- 
chwyl,  and  arrived  at  the  village,  called  afterwards  Altendorf. 
He  rested  at  the  house  of  a  pious  widow,  who  received  him 
hospitably.  To  her  Meinrad  confided  his  design,  and  asked 
her  to  minister  to  his  necessities  on  the  Etzel,  should  he  re- 
tire thither.  She  readily  promised  to  do  so.  Having 
thanked  her,  he  returned  full  of  joy  to  Bollingen.  He 
asked  the  prior  to  give  him  his  benediction  and  permission 
to  accomplish  his  project.  He,  with  regret,  permitted  him 
to  respond  to  the  call  of  grace,  and  Meinrad  at  once  tore 
himself  from  his  companions  and  pupils,  and  crossed  the 
lake  to  the  beloved  mountain.  This  was  in  June,  828,  when 
Meinrad  was  aged  thirty-one.  He  took  nothing  with  him 
save  his  missal,  a  book  of  instructions  on  the  Gospels,  the 
rule  of  S.  Benedict,  and  the  works  of  Cassian.  Burdened 
with  these  volumes,  he  climbed  the  Etzel,  and  stood  on  a 
commanding  point.  At  his  feet  and  before  him  lay  the  blue 
lake  of  Zurich,  its  waters  sleeping  in  sunshine ;  behind  him 
was  the  gloomy  horror  of  the  forest.  Beyond,  the  Alpine 
peaks  wreathed  in  glaciers,  glittering  in  the  light,  and  around 

* ~ ~~ 


* ft 

Januarys.]  ,£     Mciftrad.  2)25 

him  a  solemn  silence,  broken  only  by  the  distant  scream  of 
a  magpie,  or  the  creaking  of  the  pines  in  the  breeze. 

The  first  care  of  the  new  solitary  was  to  provide  himself 
with  shelter  against  rain  and  storm.  He  collected  broken 
boughs,  and  interlaced  them  between  four  pines  that  served 
as  corner  posts  to  his  hovel,  and  roofed  it  in  with  fern. 
This  was  his  first  house ;  but  shortly  after,  the  widow, 
having  heard  that  he  had  retired  to  the  Etzel,  built  him  a 
hut  of  pine  logs,  and  a  little  chapel,  in  which  he  might  offer 
the  Holy  Sacrifice.  She  attended  to  all  his  necessities,  as 
she  had  promised,  and  Meinrad  was  now  at  the  summit  of 
happiness. 

Strange  must  have  been  those  first  evenings  and  nights  in 
loneliness.  There  is  a  sense  of  mystery  which  oppresses  the 
spirit  when  alone  among  the  fragrant  trees,  that  stand  stiff 
and  entranced,  awaiting  the  coming  on  of  night.  To  per- 
sons unaccustomed  to  the  woods,  few  moments  of  greater 
solemnity  could  occur  than  those  following  the  set  of  sun. 
A  shadow  falls  over  the  forest,  and  in  the  deep  winding 
tunnels  that  radiate  among  the  grey,  moss-hung  trunks,  the 
blackness  of  night  condenses  apace. 

Mysterious  noises  are  heard ;  the  rustling  of  large  birds 
settling  themselves  for  the  night,  the  click  of  falling  cones,  the 
cry  of  the  wild  cat,  or  the  howl  of  the  wolf.  The  gold  light, 
that  all  day  has  flickered  through  the  boughs  and  diapered 
the  spine  strewn  soil,  has  wholly  disappeared,  save  that  for 
a  moment  it  lies  a  flake  of  fire  on  the  distant  snowy  peak. 
Patches  of  ash-grey  sky,  seen  through  the  interstices  of  the 
branches,  diffuse  no  light.  Perhaps  an  evening  breeze 
whispers  secrets  among  the  pine-tops  and  pipes  between  the 
trunks,  or  hums  an  indistinct  tune,  pervading  the  whole  air, 
among  the  green  needle-like  leaves  of  the  firs.  And  then, 
when  night  has  settled  in,  the  moon  shoots  its  fantastic 
silver    among    the    moving    branches,    and    draws    weird 

* & 


* * 

326  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January «. 

pictures  over  the  brambles  and  uneven  soil.  Branches  snap 
with  a  report  like  a  pistol,  and  voices  of  unseen  birds  and 
beasts  sound  ghost-like  among  the  dark  aisles  of  the  laby- 
rinth of  firs. 

It  is  well  to  picture  these  surroundings,  when  we  call  up 
before  us  the  figures  of  the  old  hermits.  Their  trials  were 
not  only  of  hunger,  and  thirst,  and  cold ;  there  was  the  trial 
of  nerve  as  well. 

In  the  forest  cell,  Meinrad  disciplined  his  body  by 
rigorous  fasts,  and  his  soul  by  constant  prayer.  By  degrees, 
his  cabin  became  a  resort  of  pilgrims,  who  arrived  seeking 
ease  to  their  troubled  consciences,  or  illumination  to  their 
dark  understandings.  Always  united  to  God,  always  pene- 
trated with  the  sense  of  His  presence,  he  strove  to  know 
the  will  of  God,  and  to  submit  his  own  will  wholly  to  that. 

Seven  years  passed,  and  the  number  of  those  who  visited 
him  increased  every  day.  Then,  finding  his  solitude  no 
more  a  solitude,  he  resolved  to  leave  the  Etzel,  and  bury 
himself  in  some  nook  far  from  the  habitations  of  men. 

Behind  the  Etzel  extended  a  vast  forest  untrodden  by  man, 
whose  savage  and  gloomy  loneliness  attracted  Meinrad. 
Whilst  he  was  musing  on  his  projected  flight,  some  of  his 
old  pupils  at  Bollingen  came,  as  was  their  wont  occasionally, 
to  visit  their  former  master.  Meinrad  descended  the  moun- 
tain with  them  to  the  point  where  the  river  Sihl,  after 
numerous  windings  in  the  forest,  flows  gently  through  an 
agreeable  valley,  and  empties  itself  into  the  lake.  The  pines 
on  its  banks  were  reflected  in  the  glassy  water,  and  in  its 
crystal  depths  could  be  seen  multitudes  of  trout.  The  young 
monks  desiring  to  have  a  day's  fishing,  Meinrad  crossed  the 
river,  and  entered  the  forest.  He  walked  on  silent  and 
meditating,  looking  around  him,  in  hopes  of  discovering 
some  place  suitable  for  the  purpose  that  occupied  his  mind. 
After  a  walk  of  an  hour  and  a  half,  in  a  southerly  direction, 


* 


-* 


ft . ft 

January  ai.]  ^     Meinrad.  S27 

he  reached  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills  which  formed  a  semi- 
circle as  far  as  the  Alb.  In  this  basin,  enclosed  within  the 
arms  of  the  mountain,  wound  a  little  stream  over  a  bed  of 
moss,  from  a  spring  beneath  the  roots  of  two  large  pines. 
To  the  south  lay  the  valley  of  the  Alb,  blocked  by  the 
rugged  snow-topped  crags  of  the  Mythen.  This  was  just 
such  a  solitude  as  Meinrad  had  desired.  He  fell  on  his 
knees,  and  thanked  God  for  having  brought  him  to  so 
pleasant  a  spot,  and  drinking  for  the  first  time  from  the 
fountain,  he  returned  to  his  companions,  who,  having 
caught  a  bag  full  of  fish,  went  back  with  him  to  his  her- 
mitage, and  as  evening  fell,  returned  to  Bollingen. 

Meinrad  now  prepared  to  leave  the  Etzel.  He  went  to 
Altendorf  to  thank  the  widow  who  had  provided  for  him, 
and  then  he  departed,  taking  with  him  one  monk  of 
Bollingen  and  a  peasant,  to  carry  such  things  as  would  be 
necessary  in  the  wilderness.  As  they  descended  the  hill 
towards  the  river,  the  brother  saw  a  nest  of  ravens  on  a 
branch ;  he  climbed  the  tree,  and  taking  the  nest,  brought  it 
along  with  the  two  young  birds  it  contained  to  Meinrad, 
who  kept  them,  to  be  the  companions  of  his  solitude. 

A  few  paces  above  the  spring,  where  there  was  a  gentle 
rise,  he  decided  should  be  the  site  of  his  habitation,  and 
there  accordingly  he  erected  a  simple  hut  of  logs.  Provi- 
dence did  not  desert  him.  The  abbess  Hedwig,  head  of  a 
small  community  of  women  at  Zurich,  undertook  to  minister 
to  his  necessities,  in  place  of  the  widow  of  Altendorf;  and 
from  time  to  time  she  sent  him  food,  and  such  things  as 
be  needed. 

He  was  now  left  in  complete  solitude,  and  often  the 
temptation  came  upon  him,  as  he  lay  shivering  with  cold 
in  the  winter  nights,  and  the  snow  drifted  about  his  cabin, 
to  give  up  this  sort  of  life,  and  return  to  the  community  at 
Bollingen  or  Reichenau.      But  he  resisted  these  thoughts, 

* — ft 


*- 


-* 


328  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  ai. 

as  temptations  of  the  evil  one,  with  redoubled  prayer  and 
fasting.  In  this  place  he  spent  several  years  in  perfect 
retirement,  till  a  carpenter  of  Wollerau,  coming  there  one 
day  in  quest  of  some  wood,  discovered  his  cell.  After  that, 
he  was  visited  by  hunters,  and  then,  by  degrees,  a  current 
of  pilgrims  flowed  towards  his  abode,  as  had  been  the  case  on 
the  Etzel.  What  added  to  this  was  the  present  of  a  statue  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  and  Child,  made  to  Meinrad  by  Hildegard, 
daughter  of  Louis  the  German,  who  had  been  appointed  by 
her  father  abbess  of  Zurich,  in  853.  This  image  speedily 
acquired  the  credit  of  being  miraculous,  and  thus  began  that 
incessant  pilgrimage  which  has  continued  for  over  a  thousand 
years  to  the  venerated  shrine  where  it  is  preserved. 

Meinrad  had  spent  twenty-five  years  in  solitude ;  and  his 
love  for  this  mortified  and  retired  life  had  grown  stronger  in 
his  heart  as  he  grew  older.  He  was  glad  when  winter,  the 
frost,  and  the  snow  came  to  block  the  paths,  and  diminish 
the  concourse  of  pilgrims ;  yet  in  spite  of  the  rigour  of  the 
climate  at  that  season,  and  the  want  of  roads  through  the 
forest,  he  still  saw  many  visitors,  who  came  to  confide  to 
him  their  troubles,  as  children  to  a  father,  and  to  ask  counsel 
of  his  prudence.  There  were  also  days  in  which  he  was 
alone,  and,  shut  up  in  his  log-hut,  heard  only  the  hissing 
of  the  wind  among  the  trees,  and  the  howling  of  the  wolves, 
pressed  by  hunger  in  the  forest ;  all  was  sad  around  the 
hermitage,  the  flowers,  the  grass,  the  little  spring  slept  under 
the  snow,  spread  like  a  white  pall  over  dead  nature.  The 
two  ravens,  perched  on  a  branch  of  pine  which  overhung 
the  cabin  door,  uttered  their  plaintive  croak.  Meinrad  alone 
was  happy.  He  celebrated  the  Divine  Mysteries,  and 
holding  in  his  hands  the  eternal  Victim,  offered  himself,  in 
conjunction  with  the  sacrifice  of  Calvary;  desiring  earnestly 
that  he  might  be  found  worthy  to  die  the  death  of  a  martyr. 
His  prayer  was  heard. 


*~ 


-* 


# 

January  ax.]  S.     Mehirad.  2)29 

During  the  last  years  of  Meinrad's  life,  pilgrims  laid 
presents  at  the  door  of  Meinrad,  and  before  the  image  of 
Mary.  Those  that  served  to  adorn  the  chapel  he  kept,  the 
rest  he  gave  away  to  the  poor.  Two  men,  one  from  the 
Grisons,  named  Peter,  the  other  a  Swabian,  named  Richard, 
suspecting  that  he  had  a  store  of  money  collected  from  the 
pilgrims,  resolved  on  robbing  him.  They  met  in  a  tavern  at 
Endigen,  where  now  stands  Rapperschwyl,  where  they  spent 
the  night.  Next  day,  January  21st,  861,  long  before  day- 
break, they  took  the  road  to  the  Etzel  and  entered  the  forest. 
For  a  while  they  lost  their  way,  for  the  paths  were  covered 
with  snow.  However,  at  length  they  discovered  the  hermi- 
tage. The  ravens  screamed  at  their  approach,  and  fluttered 
with  every  token  of  alarm  about  the  hut,  so  that,  as  the 
murderers  afterwards  confessed,  they  were  somewhat  startled 
at  the  evident  tokens  of  alarm  in  the  birds.  The  assassins 
reached  the  chapel  door.  S.  Meinrad  had  said  his  morning 
prayers,  and  had  celebrated  mass.  The  murderers  watched 
him  through  a  crack  in  the  door,  and  when  he  had  con- 
cluded the  sacrifice,  and  had  turned  from  the  altar,  they 
knocked.  Meinrad  opened,  and  received  them  cheerfully. 
"  My  friends,"  said  he ;  "had  you  arrived  a  little  earlier,  you 
might  have  assisted  at  the  sacrifice.  Enter  and  pray  God 
and  His  Saints  to  bless  you ;  then  come  with  me  and  I  will 
give  you  such  refreshments  as  my  poor  cell  affords."  So 
saying  he  left  them  in  the  chapel,  and  went  to  prepare  food 
in  his  own  hut. 

The  murderers  rushed  after  him,  and  he  turned  and  said, 
smiling,  "I  know  your  intention.  When  I  am  dead,  place  one 
of  these  tapers  at  my  head,  and  the  other  at  my  feet,  and 
escape  as  quickly  as  you  can,  so  as  not  to  be  overtaken." 

He  gave  to  one  his  cloak  and  to  the  other  his  tunic; 
and  they  beat  him  about  the  head  with  their  sticks,  till  he 
fell  dead  at  their  feet.     Then  they  threw  his  body  on  the 

*- * 


* _ % 

330  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ai. 

bed  of  dried  leaves  whereon  he  was  wont  to  sleep,  and 
cast  a  rush  mat  over  it  They  then  searched  the  hut  for 
money,  but  found  none.  Before  leaving,  they  remembered 
the  request  of  Meinrad,  and  placed  one  of  the  tapers  at  his 
head,  the  other  they  took  to  the  chapel,  to  light  it  at  the 
ever-burning  lamp.  When  they  returned,  to  their  astonish- 
ment, they  saw  that  the  candle  at  the  head  of  the  body  was 
alight.  Filled  with  a  vague  fear,  they  set  down  the  other 
candle  and  took  to  flight.  But  the  two  faithful  ravens 
pursued  them,  screaming  harshly,  and  dashing  against  the 
heads  of  the  murderers  with  their  beaks  and  claws,  as 
though  desirous  of  avenging  their  master's  death.  Frightened 
more  and  more,  and  continually  pursued  and  exposed  to  the 
attack  of  the  enraged  birds,  the  murderers  ran  towards 
Wollerau,  where  they  met  the  carpenter  who  had  discovered 
the  retreat  of  Meinrad.  This  man,  recognizing  the  tame 
ravens  of  the  hermit,  and  suspecting  mischief,  hastily  bade 
his  brother  not  allow  the  two  men  to  escape  out  of  his  sight, 
and  then  ran  to  the  hermitage,  where  he  found  the  body  of 
the  Saint.  The  candle  at  his  feet  had  set  fire  to  the  mat, 
but  the  flame  had  expired  as  soon  as  it  had  reached  the 
corpse.  The  carpenter  at  once  returned  to  Wollerau,  where 
he  spread  the  news  of  the  murder,  and  having  bade  his  wife 
and  some  friends  take  care  of  the  body  of  S.  Meinrad,  he 
went  in  pursuit  of  the  assassins  on  the  Zurich  road.  He 
soon  overtook  them.  The  ravens  were  fluttering  with  shrill 
screams  at  the  windows  of  a  house.  He  entered  and 
denounced  the  murderers.  They  were  taken,  and  delivered 
over  to  justice.  By  their  confession  all  the  circumstances 
of  the  martyrdom  were  made  known. 

Relics,  at  Einsiedeln,  where,  in  1861,  the  thousandth 
anniversary  of  the  Saint's  death  was  celebrated  with  great 
pomp. 

>i<- — ^ 


-* 


January  33.]  S.      Vincent.  331 


January  22. 

S.  Vincent,  D.  M-,  at  Saragossa,  in  Spain,  a.d.  304. 

SS.  Vincent,  Orontius,  Victor,  and  Aquilina,  MM.,  at  Gerunda,  in  Spam, 

a.d.  304. 
S.  Bl^silla,  W.,  at  Rome,  a.d.  383. 
S.  Gaudentius,  B.  of  No-vara,  in  Italy,  circ.  a.d.  418. 
SS.  Anastasius  and  Lxx.  Companions,  MM.,  in  Assyria,  a.d.  628. 
S.  Dominic,  Ab.  o/Sora,  in  Italy,  a.d.  1031. 
S.  Brithwald,  B.  of  Wilton,  in  England,  a.d.  104$. 
B.  Walter  Van  Bierbeeke,  Monk,  at  Hemmerode,  in  Belgium,  circ.  a.d.  1220. 

S.  VINCENT,  D.  AND  M. 
(a.d.  304.) 

[All  Western  Martyrologies,  and  by  the  Greeks  on  the  same  day,  and 
Nov.  nth.  The  Acts,  very  ancient,  quoted  by  Metaphrastes,  are  a  very 
early  recension  of  the  original  Acts  by  the  notaries  of  the  Church.  Also,  a 
hymn  of  Prudentius.] 

HIS  most  illustrious  martyr  of  the  Spanish  Church 
was  born  at  Saragossa  in  Arragon,  the  mother  of 
martyrs,  as  Prudentius  calls  it.  His  parents  are 
mentioned  in  his  Acts,  which  are  at  least  older 
than  S.  Augustine  (August  28),  in  whose  time  they  were 
publicly  read  in  the  church  of  Hippo.  The  name  of  his 
father  was  Eutychius ;  and  his  mother,  Enola,  was  a  native 
of  Osca,  or  Huesca,  which  sometimes  claims  the  honour  of 
his  birth.  He  was  trained  in  the  discipline  of  the  Christian 
faith  by  Valerius,  Bishop  of  Saragossa,  and  was  in  due  time 
ordained  to  the  office  of  deacon.  The  Bishop  was  a  man  of 
venerable  piety,  but  laboured  under  an  impediment  in  his 
speech.  He  therefore  devoted  himself  to  prayer  and  con- 
templation, and  intrusted  the  care  of  teaching  to  S.  Vincent, 
whom  he  also  appointed  his  principal  or  archdeacon.  Dacian 
was  then  Governor  of  Spain  under  Diocletian  and  Maximian, 
and  had  already  distinguished  himself  by  his  cruelty  against 


*■ 


# : *, 

332  Lives  of  the  Saints.  uanuao •»». 

the  Christians.  The  imperial  edict  for  the  seizure  of  the 
clergy  had  just  been  published  in  the  end  of  the  year  303, 
in  which  the  laity  were  not  included  until  the  following  year. 
Valerius  and  his  deacons  were  accordingly  loaded  with 
chains  and  carried  to  Valencia,  where  the  Governor  then 
was.  The  pains  of  hunger  were  added  to  their  sufferings,  in 
the  hope  of  subduing  their  fortitude.  When  they  were 
brought  before  Dacian  he  first  tried  the  effect  of  mild  lan- 
guage and  promises  of  reward  if  they  would  obey  the  orders 
of  the  Emperors  and  sacrifice  to  the  gods.  He  reminded 
Valerius  of  the  influence  which  his  episcopal  dignity  gave 
him ;  and  to  Vincent  he  represented  the  honour  of  his 
family,  and  the  sweet  joys  of  youth  which  still  lay  before 
him.  But  the  confessors  of  Christ  were  not  to  be  thus 
moved.  Valerius,  being  unable  from  his  infirmity  to  reply 
to  the  artful  persuasions  of  the  tempter,  Vincent  made  a 
noble  profession  of  the  faith  in  the  name  of  them  both. 

The  Bishop  was  condemned  to  exile,  where  he  seems 
afterwards  to  have  finished  his  course  by  martyrdom ;  and 
Vincent  was  remanded  to  prison,  thence  to  pass  by  a  more 
painful  but  a  speedier  way  to  his  crown.  His  body  was 
stretched  upon  the  rack  and  cruelly  torn  with  iron  hooks,  but 
no  torture  could  shake  his  resolution  or  disturb  the  calm 
which  sat  upon  his  countenance.  He  defied  the  utmost 
efforts  of  his  tormentors ;  and,  when  they  began  to  grow 
weary,  Dacian  ordered  them  to  be  beaten,  suspecting  that 
they  spared  the  martyr.  But  the  Governor  himself  was  at  last 
moved  to  a  faint  pity  by  the  miserable  spectacle,  and  en- 
treated Vincent  to  purchase  his  deliverance  by  at  least  giving 
up  the  Christian  books.  Vincent,  still  continuing  firm,  was 
taken  from  the  rack  and  led  to  a  more  terrible  torture  called 
the  Question.  It  was  an  iron  frame  with  bars  running 
across  it,  sharp  as  scythes,  and  underneath  a  fire  was  kindled, 
which  made  the  whole  frame  red  hot.     To  this  fearful  agony 

* 


January  aa.]  ,5*.      ViflCent.  333 

the  martyr  walked  with  a  willing  step,  and  even  went  before 
the  executioners.  And,  as  he  lay  bound  upon  the  bed  of 
torture,  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  heaven,  his  lips  moved  as  if 
in  prayer,  and  a  peaceful  smile  would  sometimes  pass  across 
his  countenance.  No  cruelty  was  spared  that  diabolical 
ingenuity  could  invent,  but  the  love  of  Christ  surpassed  the 
wrath  of  man  and  won  the  day.  When  the  malice  of  his 
enemies  could  do  no  more,  he  was  carried  back  to  prison, 
and  laid  in  a  dark  dungeon  strewn  with  broken  potsherds, 
which  allowed  his  wounded  body  no  rest.  His  feet,  too, 
were  fastened  in  the  stocks.  But  God  was  mindful  of  His 
servant,  and  sent  His  angels  to  comfort  him,  bestowing  a 
foretaste  of  his  reward  while  his  trial  was  as  yet  unfinished. 
His  cell  was  illuminated  with  the  light  of  heaven,  his  bonds 
were  loosed,  and  the  floor  of  his  prison  seemed  to  be  strewn 
with  flowers.  The  martyr  and  his  celestial  visitants  sang 
hymns  together,  and  the  unwonted  sound  astonished  the 
jailer.  He  looked  into  the  cell,  and,  overpowered  by  what 
he  saw  and  heard,  confessed  the  power  of  God  and  the  truth 
of  the  Christian  faith.  When  Dacian  heard  of  it  he  shed 
tears  of  rage ;  but,  finding  it  was  useless  to  continue  his 
cruelty,  he  gave  orders  that  some  repose  should  be  allowed 
to  the  martyr.  His  motives  for  this  act  of  clemency  are 
variously  represented ;  perhaps  he  only  meant  to  recruit  the 
strength  of  Vincent  that  he  might  endure  further  tortures ;  or 
perhaps  he  feared  that,  if  he  expired  under  them,  the 
Christian  faith  might  be  exalted  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  by 
his  constancy.  But,  whatever  was  the  policy  of  Dacian,  God 
overruled  it  to  obtain  for  His  blessed  servant  an  easy 
departure.  The  scattered  remnant  of  Christians  gathered 
round  him,  and  tended  him  with  anxious  care.  They 
provided  a  soft  bed,  on  which  he  was  no  sooner  laid  than  he 
yielded  up  his  soul  to  the  Lord,  on  January  22,  a.d.  304. 
The  rage  of  the  Governor  followed  his  poor  remains.     His 

* — * 


-* 


334  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January ». 

body  was  cast  out  into  a  field  to  become  the  prey  of  wild 
beasts  and  birds ;  but  was  defended  by  a  raven.  Then,  to 
add  further  indignities  to  it,  it  was  taken  out  in  a  boat  and 
thrown  into  the  sea  with  a  mill-stone  about  the  neck. 
During  the  night  it  was  washed  ashore,  and  at  last  was 
privately  buried  by  some  good  Christians  in  a  humble 
chapel  near  Valencia.  When  the  fury  of  the  persecution 
had  ceased,  it  was  removed  with  great  honour,  and  buried 
under  the  altar  of  the  principal  church. 

S.  GAUDENTIUS,  B.  OF  NOVARA. 
(about  a.d.  418.) 

[From  his  life  by  an  anonymous  writer  in,  or  about,  760  ;  quite  trust- 
worthy.] 

Gaudentius  was  a  native  of  Ivrea  (Eporcedia),  under 
the  shadows  of  the  Alps ;  he  was  brought  up  as  a  Christian, 
and  exhibited  early  indications  of  piety.  On  reaching  man's 
estate  he  went  to  Novara,  was  ordained  priest,  and  became 
so  distinguished  for  his  sanctity,  that  S.  Ambrose  visited 
him.  When  Constantius,  the  Arian  Emperor,  exiled  S. 
Eusebius,  the  Catholic  Bishop  of  Vercelli,  Gaudentius  went 
into  exile  with  him ;  on  his  return  he  was  elected  to  the 
episcopal  throne  of  Novara. 


S.  ANASTASIUS  THE    PERSIAN,  AND  LXX.  COM- 
PANIONS, MM.  IN  ASSYRIA. 
(a.d.  628.) 

[Commemorated  by  Greeks  and  Westerns.  His  Acts  are  genuine,  having 
been  written  either  by  the  monk  commissioned  to  attend  him  during  his 
passion,  or  from  his  dictation.  These  Acts  were  referred  to  in  the  7th 
General  Council,  180  years  after  his  death.] 

There  lived  in  Rages,  in  Persia,  at  the  time  when  the  true 
Cross  fell  into  the  hands  of  Chosroes,  King  of  Persia,  a.d. 

* — ■ gi 


* — * 

January  22.]  S.  Anastasius.  335 

614,  a  young  man,  named  Magundat,  the  son  of  a  Magian 
of  rank.  The  capture  of  the  Cross  was  famed  all  through 
Persia,  and  Magundat  was  led  by  curiosity  to  enquire  about 
it  of  some  Christians.  Thus  he  learned  the  history  of  the 
Passion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Redemp- 
tion. It  left  a  deep  impression  on  his  mind.  He  was  soon 
after  called  to  serve  in  the  army  that  marched  under  Sarbar 
through  the  north  of  Asia  Minor  to  Chalcedon,  but  on  his 
retreat,  Magundat  left  the  army,  and  visited  Hierapolis  in 
Syria.  In  that  city  he  lodged  with  a  Persian  Christian,  a 
silversmith,  with  whom  he  often  went  to  the  Christian 
Church.  There  he  contemplated  the  pictures  of  saints 
glorified  on  golden  grounds,  and  martyrs  in  their  agonies, 
and  asked  about  them.  His  curiosity  was  satisfied,  and 
being  greatly  moved  by  what  he  heard,  he  felt  a  desire 
to  visit  those  holy  places  where  Christ  had  been  born  and 
where  he  had  died,  as  he  had  seen  painted  on  the  walls 
of  the  Church  of  the  Martyrs  in  Hierapolis.  Therefore  he 
went  to  Jerusalem,  and  he  lodged  there  also  in  the  house  of 
a  smith,  who  was  a  Christian ;  and  to  him  he  opened  his 
heart,  and  related  how  he  had  been  led  to  desire  baptism, 
and  a  right  to  the  Resurrection  of  the  Just.  He  was,  there- 
fore, placed  under  instruction,  and  was  afterwards  baptized 
by  Modestus,  "vicar  of  the  Apostolic  seat,"  as  he  is  called 
in  the  Acts,  who  governed  Jerusalem,  Zachary  the  patriarch 
being  in  captivity.  He  prepared  himself  for  the  Holy  Sacra- 
ment with  great  devotion,  and  spent  the  octave  after  it — 
which  persons  baptized  passed  in  white  garments — in  con- 
tinuous prayer.  At  his  baptism  he  took  the  name  of 
Anastasius,  thereby  meaning,  in  Greek,  his  resurrection  to 
a  new  life. 

After  his  baptism,  the  more  perfectly  to  keep  inviolably 
his  baptismal  vows  and  obligations,  he  resolved  on  be- 
coming a  monk  in  a  monastery  five  miles  from  Jerusalem. 

*— — >h 


*__ * 

33^  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  a*. 

Justin,  the  abbot,  made  him  first  learn  the  Greek  tongue 
and  the  psalter;  then  cutting  off  his  hair,  gave  him  the 
monastic  habit,  in  the  year  620. 

Anastasius  was  always  most  earnest  in  all  spiritual  duties, 
especially  in  assisting  at  the  celebration  of  the  Divine 
Mysteries.  His  favourite  reading  was  the  lives  of  the 
saints ;  and  when  he  read  the  triumphs  of  the  martyrs,  his 
eyes  overflowed  with  tears,  and  he  longed  to  be  found 
worthy  to  share  their  glory.  Being  tormented  with  the 
memory  of  the  superstitious  and  magical  rites,  which  his 
father  had  taught  him,  he  was  delivered  from  that  trouble- 
some temptation  by  discovering  it  to  his  director,  and  by 
his  advice  and  prayers.  After  seven  years  spent  in  great 
perfection  in  this  monastery,  his  desire  of  martyrdom  daily 
increasing,  and  having  been  assured  by  a  revelation  that  his 
prayers  for  that  grace  were  heard,  he  left  that  house,  and 
visited  the  places  of  devotion  in  Palestine,  at  Diospolis, 
Gerizim,  and  Our  Lady's  church  at  Cassarea,  where  he  stayed 
two  days.  This  city,  with  the  greatest  part  of  Syria,  was 
then  subject  to  the  Persians.  The  Saint,  seeing  certain 
Persian  soothsayers  of  the  garrison  occupied  in  their  abomi- 
nable superstitions  in  the  streets,  boldly  spoke  to  them, 
remonstrating  against  the  impiety  of  such  practices.  The 
Persian  magistrates  apprehended  him  as  a  suspected  spy; 
but  he  informed  them  that  he  had  once  enjoyed  the  dignity 
of  Magian  amongst  them,  but  had  renounced  it  to  become  a 
humble  follower  of  Christ.  Upon  this  confession  he  was 
thrown  into  a  dungeon,  where  he  lay  three  days  without 
eating  or  drinking,  till  the  return  of  Marzabanes,  the 
governor,  to  the  city.  When  interrogated  by  him,  he 
confessed  his  conversion  to  the  faith.  Marzabanes  com- 
manded him  to  be  chained  by  the  foot  to  another  criminal, 
and  his  neck  and  one  foot  to  be  also  linked  together  by  a 
heavy  chain,    and   condemned  him,   in  this  condition,   to 

*■ —  — * 


*- 


* 


January  aa.]  S.     AftaStaSZUS.  7)37 

carry  stones.  The  Persians,  especially  those  of  his  own 
province,  and  his  former  acquaintance,  upbraided  him  with 
having  disgraced  his  country,  kicked  and  beat  him,  plucked 
his  beard,  and  loaded  him  with  burdens  above  his  strength. 
The  Governor  sent  for  him  a  second  time,  but  could  not 
induce  him  to  pronounce  the  impious  words  which  the 
Magians  used  in  their  superstitions;  "For,"  said  he,  "the 
wilful  calling  of  them  to  remembrance  defiles  the  heart." 
The  judge  then  threatened  he  would  write  immediately  to 
the  king,  if  he  did  not  comply.  "  Write  what  you  please," 
said  the  Saint,  "  I  am  a  Christian  :  I  repeat  it  again,  I  am  a 
Christian."  Marzabanes  commanded  him  to  be  forthwith 
beaten  with  knotty  clubs.  The  executioners  were  preparing 
to  bind  him  fast  to  the  ground  ;  but  the  Saint  told  them  it 
was  unnecessary,  for  he  had  courage  enough  to  lie  down 
under  the  punishment  without  moving,  and  he  regarded  it 
as  his  greatest  happiness  to  suffer  for  Christ.  He  only 
begged  leave  to  put  off  his  monk's  habit,  lest  it  should  be 
treated  with  that  contempt  which  only  his  body  deserved. 
He  therefore  laid  it  aside  respectfully,  and  then  stretched 
himself  on  the  ground,  and,  without  being  bound,  remained 
all  the  time  of  the  cruel  torment,  bearing  it  without  changing 
his  posture. 

The  Governor  again  threatened  him  to  acquaint  the  king 
with  his  obstinacy.  "  Whom  ought  we  rather  to  fear,"  said 
Anastasius,  "  a  mortal  man,  or  God,  who  made  all  things  out 
of  nothing?"  The  judge  pressed  him  to  sacrifice  to  fire, 
and  to  the  sun  and  moon.  The  Saint  answered,  he  could 
never  acknowledge  as  gods  creatures  which  God  had  made 
only  for  the  use  of  man ;  upon  which  he  was  remanded  to 
prison. 

His  old  abbot,  hearing  of  his  sufferings,  sent  two  monks 
to  assist  him,  and  ordered  prayers  to  be  offered  daily  for  him. 
The  confessor,  after  carrying  stones  all  the  day,  spent  the 

VOL.    I.  22 


-* 


* 

338  LiveS  Of  the  SaintS.  [January  »t. 

greatest  part  of  the  night  in  prayer,  to  the  surprise  of  his 
companions ;  one  of  whom,  a  Jew,  saw  and  showed  him  to 
others  at  prayer  in  the  night,  shining  in  brightness  and 
glory  like  a  blessed  spirit,  and  angels  praying  with  him.  As 
the  confessor  was  chained  to  a  man  condemned  for  a  public 
crime,  he  prayed  always  with  his  neck  bowed  downwards, 
keeping  his  chained  foot  near  his  companion,  not  to  disturb 
him. 

Marzabanes,  in  the  meantime,  having  informed  Chosroes, 
and  received  his  orders,  acquainted  the  martyr  by  a  messen- 
ger, without  seeing  him,  that  the  king  would  be  satisfied  if 
he  would  by  word  of  mouth  abjure  the  Christian  faith :  after 
which  he  might  choose  whether  he  would  be  an  officer  in 
the  king's  service,  or  still  remain  a  Christian  and  a  monk  \ 
adding  he  might  in  his  heart  always  adhere  to  Christ,  pro- 
vided he  would  but  for  once  renounce  Him  in  words  privately, 
in  his  presence,  "  in  which  there  could  be  no  harm,  nor  any 
great  injury  to  his  Christ,"  as  he  said.  Anastasius  answered 
firmly,  that  he  would  never  even  seem  to  dissemble,  or  to 
deny  his  God.  Then  the  Governor  told  him  that  he  had 
orders  to  send  him  bound  into  Persia  to  the  king.  "  There 
is  no  need  of  binding  me,"  said  the  Saint :  "  I  go  willingly 
and  cheerfully  to  suffer  for  Christ."  The  Governor  put  on 
him  and  on  two  other  prisoners  the  mark,  and  gave  orders 
that  they  should  set  out  after  five  days.  In  the  meantime, 
on  the  feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross,  the  14th  of  Sep- 
tember, at  the  request  of  the  Commerciarius,  or  tax-gatherer 
for  the  king,  who  was  a  Christian  of  distinction,  Anastasius 
had  leave  to  go  to  the  church  and  assist  at  the  Divine  Sacri- 
fice. His  presence  and  exhortations  encouraged  the  faithful, 
excited  the  lukewarm  to  fervour,  and  moved  all  to  tears. 
He  dined  that  day  with  the  Commerciarius,  and  then  returned 
with  joy  to  his  prison.  On  the  day  appointed,  the  martyr 
left  Ca:sarea  in  Palestine,  with  two  other  Christian  prisoners, 

* ij, 


*— * 

January  J2.]  ,5".  Anastasius.  339 

under  a  strict  guard,  and  was  followed  by  one  of  the  monks 
whom  the  abbot  had  sent  to  assist  and  encourage  him.  The 
Acts  of  his  martyrdom  were  written  by  this  monk,  or  at  least 
from  what  he  related  by  word  of  mouth.  The  Saint  received 
great  marks  of  honour,  much  against  his  inclination,  from 
the  Christians,  wherever  he  came.  This  made  him  fear  lest 
human  applause  should  rob  him  of  his  crown,  by  infecting 
his  heart  with  pride.  He  wrote  from  Hierapolis,  and  again 
from  the  river  Tigris  to  his  abbot,  begging  the  prayers  of  his 
brethren. 

Having  reached  Barsaloe  in  Assyria,  six  miles  from  Dis- 
cartha  or  Dastagerde,  near  the  Euphrates,  where  the  king 
then  was,  the  prisoners  were  thrown  into  a  dungeon,  till  his 
pleasure  was  known.  An  officer  came  from  Chosroes  to  in- 
terrogate the  Saint,  who  made  answer,  touching  his  mag- 
nificent promises :  "  My  religious  habit  and  poor  clothes 
show  that  I  despise  from  my  heart  the  gaudy  pomp  of  the 
world.  The  honours  and  riches  of  a  king,  who  must  shortly 
die  himself,  are  no  temptation  to  me."  Next  day  the  officer 
returned  to  the  prison,  and  endeavoured  to  intimidate  him 
by  threats  and  reproaches.  But  the  Saint  said  calmly,  "My 
lord  judge,  do  not  give  yourself  so  much  trouble  about  me. 
By  the  grace  of  Christ  I  am  not  to  be  moved  :  so  execute 
your  pleasure  without  more  ado."  The  officer  caused  him 
to  be  unmercifully  beaten  with  staves,  after  the  Persian 
manner,  insulting  him  all  the  time,  and  often  repeating, 
that  because  he  rejected  the  king's  bounty,  he  should  be 
treated  in  that  manner  every  day,  as  long  as  he  lived.  This 
punishment  was  inflicted  on  him  three  days ;  on  the  third, 
the  judge  commanded  him  to  be  laid  on  his  back,  and  a 
heavy  beam  pressed  down  by  the  weight  of  two  men  on  his 
legs,  crushing  the  flesh  to  the  very  bone.  The  martyr's  tran- 
quility and  patience  astonished  the  officer,  who  went  again 
to  acquaint  the  king  with  his  behaviour.     In  his  absence  the 

* * 


* * 

34-0  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January » 

jailer,  a  Christian,  gave  every  one  free  access  to  the  martyr. 
The  Christians  immediately  filled  the  prison ;  every  one 
sought  to  kiss  his  feet  or  chains,  and  kept  as  relics  whatever 
had  been  sanctified  by  their  touch.  The  Saint,  with  confu- 
sion and  indignation,  strove  to  hinder  them,  and  expressed 
his  dissatisfaction  at  their  proceedings.  The  officer,  return- 
ing from  the  king,  caused  him  to  be  beaten  again,  which 
the  confessor  bore  rather  as  a  statue  than  as  flesh  and 
blood.  Then  he  was  hung  up  for  two  hours  by  one  hand, 
with  a  great  weight  at  his  feet,  and  tampered  with  by  threats 
and  promises.  The  judge,  despairing  to  overcome  him,  went 
back  to  the  king  for  his  last  orders,  which  were,  that  Anasta- 
sius  and  all  the  Christian  captives  should  be  put  to  death.  He 
returned  speedily  to  put  these  orders  into  execution,  and 
caused  the  two  companions  of  Anastasius,  with  threescore  and 
eight  other  Christians,  to  be  strangled  one  after  another,  on 
the  banks  of  the  river,  before  his  face,  the  judge  all  the  time 
pressing  them  to  return  to  the  Persian  worship,  and  to 
escape  so  disgraceful  a  death.  Anastasius,  with  his  eyes 
lifted  up  to  heaven,  gave  thanks  to  God  for  bringing  his  life 
to  so  happy  a  conclusion;  and  said  he  expected  that  he 
should  have  met  with  a  more  cruel  death,  by  the  torture  of  all 
his  members ;  but  seeing  that  God  granted  him  one  so  easy, 
he  embraced  it  with  joy.  He  was  accordingly  strangled, 
and  when  dead,  his  head  was  struck  off.  This  was  in  the 
year  628,  the  seventeenth  of  the  Emperor  Heraclius.  His 
body,  along  with  the  rest  of  the  dead,  was  exposed  to  be  de- 
voured by  dogs,  but  it  was  the  only  one  they  left  untouched. 
It  was  afterwards  redeemed  by  the  Christians,  who  laid  it 
in  the  monastery  of  S.  Sergius,  a  mile  from  his  place  of 
triumph,  in  the  city  of  Barsaloe,  called  afterwards  from 
that  monastery,  Sergiopolis.  The  monk  that  attended 
him  brought  back  his  colobium,  or  linen  sleeveless  tunic. 
The  Saint's   body  was  afterwards   brought   into   Palestine, 

* * 


January  22.]  £}%      Walter.  34 1 

thence  it  was  removed  to  Constantinople,  and  finally  to 
Rome. 

Relics,  in  the  church  of  SS.  Vincent  and  Anastasius  at 
Rome,  also  in  the  chapel  of  the  Santa  Scala,  near  S.  John 
Lateran,  at  Rome. 

In  art,  he  figures  with  a  hatchet.  Often  his  head  alone, 
on  a  plate ;  to  be  distinguished  from  that  of  S.  John  Baptist, 
by  the  cowl  that  accompanies  it. 


B.    WALTER    OF    BIERBEEKE,    MONK    AT 
HEMMERODE. 

(ABOUT   A.D.    1 2  20.) 

[Authority,  life  in  Cassarius  of  Heisterbach's  "  Dialogus  Miraculorum," 
Distinctio  VII.  c.  xxxviii.  ed.  Strange.  Caesarius  knew  Walter,  and  some 
of  the  things  he  relates  from  what  Walter  told  him,  or  from  some  of  the 
brethren  who  where  eye-witnesses  to  the  e\ents  he  describes.  At  the  same 
time  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  great  credulity  of  Ceesarius.] 

Walter  of  Bierbeeke,  in  Brabant,  was  a  knight  of  noble 
blood,  having  been  related  to  Henry,  Duke  of  Louvain. 
He  fought  against  the  Saracens  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  was 
a  brave  and  upright  chevalier.  He  was  also  a  man  of  deep 
piety,  and  of  a  fervent  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Like 
Sir  Galahad  he  might  have  said  : — 

" all  my  hea;t  is  drawn  above, 

My  knees  are  bowed  in  crypt  and  shrine  ; 
I  never  felt  the  kiss  of  love, 

Nor  maiden's  hand  in  mine. 
More  beauteous  aspects  on  me  beam, 

Me  mightier  transports  move  and  thrill ; 
So  keep  I  fair  through  faith  and  prayer 

A  virgin  heart  in  work  and  will." 

The  great  German  writer,  Fouque,  seems  to  have  had  this 
Brabantine   hero   in   his   mind's   eye,    when   he  wrote  his 


* 

34 2  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  tx 

"Aslauga's  Knight."  Like  Froda,  in  that  exquisite  story, 
Walter  of  Bierbeeke  had  fixed  his  heart  on  a  heavenly 
mistress,  whose  pure  image  haunted  his  dreams. 

A  story  told  by  Csesarius,  illustrative  of  this,  must  not  be 
omitted,  though  we  may  doubt  its  truth.  Walter  rode  with 
a  brilliant  company  of  knights  to  a  tournament.  On  his 
way  he  passed  a  little  chapel,  and  the  bell  was  tinkling  for 
mass.  It  was  a  feast  of  Our  Lady,  and  the  good  knight, 
leaping  from  his  horse,  entered  the  chapel  to  hear  the  mass 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  "  You  will  be  late  for  the  tourna- 
ment !"  shouted  his  companions.  "  My  duty  is  first  to  Her," 
answered  Walter,  pointing  to  the  image  of  the  Mother  of 
God.  Now  when  the  mass  was  said,  and  the  beginning  of 
the  Gospel  of  S.  John  was  read,  then  the  knight  rose  from 
his  knees,  remounted  his  horse,  and  rode  towards  the  town. 

As  he  neared  the  lists,  he  asked  of  some  hurrying  from  it 
how  matters  fared.  "  The  tournament  is  well  nigh  over," 
was  the  answer,  "  Walter  of  Bierbeeke  has  borne  down  all 
competitors.  He  has  done  marvellously."  But  the  knight 
understood  not.  He  asked  others,  and  the  same  answer 
was  given.  Then  he  rode  into  the  lists,  but  met  with  no 
distinguished  success.  And  when  all  was  over,  many 
knights  came  to  him  and  said,  "  Deal  graciously  by  us." 
"What  mean  you?"  he  asked.  "We  were  captured  and 
disarmed  by  thee  in  the  lists,  and  we  must  ransom  our- 
selves."    "  But  I  was  not  there." 

"  Nay,  but  it  was  thou,"  they  replied ;  "  for  we  saw  thy 
cognizance  on  helm  and  shield,  and  heard  thy  cry,  and 
knew  thy  voice."  Then  Walter  knew  that  his  heavenly 
Mistress  had  sent  an  angel  to  fight  for  him,  whilst  he  wor- 
shipped at  her  humble  shrine. 

And  after  that,  many  a  token  did  she  show,  that  she  had 
accepted  Walter  as  her  knight.  Then  his  love  to  her 
waxed  daily  stronger,  and  he  said,  "  I  have  been  her  knight, 

j, . % 


-* 


January  m.]  B.    Walter.  343 

now  will  I  be  her  slave."  So  he  went  into  a  little  chapel, 
dedicated  to  his  dear  Lady,  and  put  a  rope  round  his 
neck,  and  offered  himself  at  the  altar  to  be  her  serf,  and 
to  pay  to  her  a  yearly  tax. 

"  And  because  out  of  honour  to  the  heavenly  queen  he  so 
humbled  himself,"  says  Csesarius;  "therefore  she,  on  the 
other  hand,  glorified  him,  whom  she  loved,  in  many  ways." 

After  a  while  he  wearied  of  wearing  coat  of  mail,  and  he 
cast  his  weapons  and  harness  aside,  and  donned  the 
Cistercian  habit  in  the  monastery  of  Hemmerode.  There  he 
was  not  allowed  to  live  in  such  retirement  as  he  loved ;  being 
unskilled  in  Latin,  he  was  made  to  serve  as  a  lay-brother 
instead  of  being  in  constant  attendance  in  choir.  Several 
pretty  stories  are  told  of  his  cloister  life.  At  dinner,  as  is 
usual  in  monasteries,  a  monk  read  aloud  from  a  Latin  book. 
The  abbot  noticed  Walter  during  the  meal,  every  day,  to  seem 
very  intent  on  what  was  being  read ;  smiles  came  out  on 
his  face,  and  sometimes  tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks.  At 
last  the  abbot  sent  for  him,  and  asked  him,  "  What  art  thou 
attending  to?  Thou  understandest  not  the  Latin  book." 
"No,  not  that  book,"  said  Walter;  "but  I  have  another 
book  open  before  my  mind's  eye,  full  of  sacred  pictures,  and 
I  look  at  the  first,  and  there  I  see  Gabriel  announcing  to 
Mary  that  Christ  is  coming.  Then  I  turn  over  the  leaf,  and 
I  see  the  stable  of  Bethlehem,  and  the  adoring  shepherds  ; 
and  I  see  the  Magi  come ;  and  the  next  picture  is  the 
Presentation  in  the  Temple ;  and  so  my  book  goes  on,  and  I 
come  at  last  to  Calvary  and  the  grave.  And  that  is  a 
picture  book  of  which  I  never  weary." 

Once  he  was  sent  in  a  boat  laden  with  wine  to  Zealand. 
And  a  storm  arose  so  that  the  vessel  was  in  great  danger, 
and  she  drave  before  the  wind  all  night.  Thinking  that  they 
must  all  perish,  Walter  made  his  confession  to  his  servant, 
there  being  no  priest  on  board,  and  then  he  descended  into 


-* 


* -f 

344  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  M, 

the  hold,  after  midnight,  and  placing  his  little  ivory  statue  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  before  him,  he  knelt  down  and  prayed, 
expecting  death.  As  he  prayed  he  slept.  Then,  in  a  dream, 
he  saw  the  monastery  of  Hemmerode,  and  in  it  was  an  old 
monk,  Arnold  by  name,  harping,  and  singing  psalms,  and 
praying  for  those  who  "go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  and 
exercise  their  business  in  great  waters."  Then  Walter 
awoke,  and  went  to  the  mariners  and  said,  "  Be  of  good 
cheer,  we  shall  not  perish,  Arnold  at  Hemmerode  is  not 
asleep  to-night,  but  is  harping  on  his  harp  and  singing  to  God 
for  us." 

Now  when  they  had  come  safe  to  land,  Walter  returned 
to  his  monastery,  and  told  the  abbot  of  his  dream.  Then 
the  abbot  sent  for  the  monk  Arnold,  and  he  said  to  him, 
"  What  wast  thou  doing  on  the  vigil  of  S.  Nicholas  ?"  For 
it  was  on  that  night  that  the  vessel  had  been  in  danger. 

"  I  could  not  sleep  at  all  that  night,"  answered  the  monk, 
"  so  I  prayed  to,  and  praised  God." 

"  But  thou  Avast  harping  on  a  harp,"  said  the  abbot. 

"  Nay,  my  lord,"  answered  the  monk  Arnold ;  "  this  is 
what  I  do.  I  play  with  my  fingers  on  an  imaginary  harp, 
under  my  habit,  making  music  in  my  soul ;  and  this  I  do 
whenever  my  devotion  flags." 

Now  Walter  went  with  his  superior,  the  abbot  Eustace,  to 
the  monastery  of  Villars,  which  was  of  the  same  Cistercian 
order.  And  in  the  evening  the  abbot  of  Villars  called  all  the 
monks  before  the  abbot  Eustace  of  Hemmerode.  And  he 
said,  "  Are  they  all  here?"  He  answered,  "All  are  here  but 
two  little  French  boys,  who  have  communicated  to-day,  and 
on  such  days  as  they  communicate  they  love  to  remain  in 
silence  by  themselves." 

Now  on  the  morrow,  when  the  convent  had  gone  to 
nones,  and  the  elder  of  these  boys  was  waiting  the  sound  of 
the  bell,  leaning  on  his  spade  before  the  church  door,  he  read 

>£»- — ■ — — * 


*- 


-* 


January  33.] 


B.    Walter. 


345 


the  little  nones  of  Our  Lady,  and  reading,  he  fell  asleep. 
Then  he  thought  he  saw  the  Blessed  Virgin,  with  a  great 
company  enter  the  church,  and  she  looked  not  towards  him. 
And  he  cried,  "  Oh  wretched  me  !  she  calls  me  not !"  Then 
the  Mother  of  God  turning,  looked  at  him,  and  signing  to  a 
monk,  bade  him  go  and  call  the  boy,  and  this  the  monk  did, 
coming  to  him,  and  saying,  "The  Mistress  calleth  thee." 

When  he  woke,  he  told  his  fellow  the  dream ;  and  when 
they  went  within,  he  saw  Walter,  and  he  whispered  to  his 
companion,  "  If  that  monk  had  a  grey  habit  instead  of  a 
white  one,  I  would  say  that  it  was  he  who  summoned  me." 

Now  on  the  morrow,  when  Walter  and  the  abbot  Eustace 
were  about  to  depart,  they  stood  in  the  door,  and  Walter 
wore  his  grey  travelling  habit.  Then  the  boy  exclaimed, 
"  Yes,  that  certainly  is  he."  A  few  days  after,  the  blessed 
Walter  of  Bierbeeke  died  at  Hemmerode,  and  strange  to  say, 
within  a  day  or  two,  the  little  French  boy  was  called  away 
also. 


*- 


-* 


34-6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  u-^zw- 


January  23. 

S.  Parmenas,  one  of  the  first  Seven  Deacons,  end  of  ist  cent. 

S.  Messalina,  y.  M.,  at  Foligno,  in  Italy,  a.d.  2<o  . 

S.  Asclas,  M.,  at  Antinoe,  in  Egypt,  circ.  a.d.  304. 

S.  Emerentiana,  y.  M.,  at  Rome,  a.d.  304.     (See  p.  321.) 

S.  Clement,  B.  of  Ancyra,  and  Companions,  MM.,  beginning  of  4th  cer.i. 

S.  Amasils,  B.  C.  of  Teano,  near  Capua,  circ.  a.d.  356. 

S.  Eusebius,  Ab.  in  Syria,  4/A  cent. 

S.  Mausimas,  P.  in  Syria,  circ.  a.d.  400. 

S.  Urban,  B.  of  Langres,  t,th  cent. 

S.  John  the  Almsgiver,  Pair,  of  Alexandria,  a.d.  616. 

S.  Ildephonsus,   B.  of  Toledo,  a.d.  667. 

S.  Boisilus,  of  Melrose,  circ.  a.d.  664. 

S.  Maimbod,  M.,  at  Besancon. 

S.  Bernard,  Ab.  of  Vienne,  in  France,  qth  cent. 

S.  Raymond,  of  Pennaforte,  C.  in  Spain,  a.d.  1275. 

S.  Margaret,  V.,  at  Ra-venna,  a.d.  1505. 

S.  ASCLAS,  M. 
(about  a.d.  304) 

[S.  Asclas  was  martyred  on  Jan.  21st,  but  his  body  was  found  on  Jan. 
23rd,  and  on  this  latter  day  he  is  usually  commemorated.  His  Acts,  in  a 
fragmentary  condition,  are  doubtful.] 

SCLAS,  a  native  of  Antinoe,  was  brought  before 
the  Roman  governor,  Arrianus,  when  he  visited 
Hermopolis,  in  the  Thebaid,  or  Upper  Egypt. 
After  a  close  interrogation,   which  is  faithfully 
recorded  in  the  Acts  of  this  martyr,  the  Governor  exclaimed, 
"  Come,  now  !  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  and  consult  thy  safety. 
I  have  various  instruments  at  hand,  as  thou  seest."     "Try, 
now,"  said  the  martyr,  boldly.     "Try,  now,  which  will  pre- 
vail, thou  and  thy  instruments,  or  I  and  my  Christ."     The 
Governor  ordered  him  to  be  swung  from  the  little  horse,  and 
his  flesh  to  be  torn  off  in  ribands.     This  was  done.     Then 
Arrianus  said  sullenly,   "  I  see  he  is  as  obdurate  as   ever." 
An  orator,  standing  by,  remarked,  "  The  approach  of  death 

* — >j< 


T — * 

January  23.]  S.   Clement.  347 

has  robbed  him  of  his  wits."  Asclas  turned  his  head,  and 
said,  "  No,  I  am  robbed  neither  of  my  wits  nor  of  my  God." 
Now  this  had  taken  place  on  the  further  side  of  the  river, 
near  Antinoe  ;  and  as  there  were  not  sufficient  conveniences 
for  continuing  the  torture,  the  Governor  said,  "  We  will  re- 
turn to  Hermopolis."  So  he  ordered  Asclas  into  one  boat ; 
and  when  he  had  been  taken  over  the  Nile,  then  Arrianus 
entered  his  boat,  and  began  to  cross.  Thereupon  Asclas 
cried  out,  "  O  Lord,  for  whose  sake  I  have  suffered,  may 
Thy  name  be  glorified  now,  even  by  unwilling  lips.  Retain 
the  vessel  in  the  midst  of  the  river,  till  Arrianus  confesses 
Thy  power."  Then  suddenly  the  boat  stood,  as  though  it 
had  grounded  on  a  sand-bank,  and  it  could  not  be  moved, 
till  the  Governor  wrote  on  a  piece  of  parchment :  "  The  Lord 
of  Asclas,  He  is  God,  and  there  is  none  other  god  save  He." 
And  when  he  had  sent  this  to  the  martyr,  the  boat  floated, 
and  was  propelled  to  the  shore.  Then  the  Governor,  inflamed 
with  rage,  thinking  that  the  captive  had  used  magical  arts, 
tortured  him  by  applying  fire  to  his  sides  and  belly,  till  his 
body  was  one  great  sore.  And  after  that  he  cast  him,  with 
a  stone  attached  to  his  neck,  into  the  Nile. 


S.  CLEMENT,  B.  OF  ANCYRA,  AND  HIS  COM- 
PANIONS, MM. 

(BEGINNING    OF    4TH    CENT.) 

[Commemorated  by  the  Greeks.  The  Greek  Acts  of  these  martyrs  are 
not  genuine.] 

S.  Clement,  Bishop  of  Ancyra,  was  the  son  of  a  heathen 
father  and  a  Christian  mother.  When  Clement  was  ten  years 
old,  his  mother  died.  Before  her  death,  she  summoned  him  to 
her  side,  and  urged  him  not  to  desert  Christ,  whatever  suffer- 
ings he  might  be  called  on  to  endure  for  His  sake.     Being 


-* 


ft — ft 

348  Lives  of  the  Saints.  January  23. 

possessed  of  private  means,  on  coming  of  age,  he  adopted  a 
number  of  poor  boys,  and  educated  them  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  He  was  at  length  ordained 
Bishop  of  Ancyra,  his  native  city.  In  the  persecution  of 
Diocletian,  he  was  taken  and  brought  before  the  governor. 
He  was  treated  with  great  barbarity,  being  torn  with  hooks, 
and  his  teeth  and  jaw  broken  with  a  large  stone.  As  he  lay 
among  other  prisoners  that  night  in  the  jail,  a  bright  light 
filled  it,  and  the  prisoners  saw  a  man  enter  in  dazzling  gar- 
ments, who  held  in  his  hand  the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  there- 
with he  communicated  the  bishop.  But  whether  he  were 
mortal  priest,  or  an  angel  of  God,  no  man  knows.  Along 
with  Clement,  one  Agathangelus  and  many  others,  men, 
women,  and  boys  suffered  for  Christ,  whose  names  are 
written  in  the  Book  of  Life. 


S.  JOHN  THE  ALMSGIVER,   PATRIARCH  OF 
ALEXANDRIA. 

(a.d.  616.) 

[S.  John  died  on  Nov.  nth.  Rut  as  that  is  the  feast  of  S.  Mennas, 
among  the  Greeks,  they  commemorate  him  on  Nov.  12th  ;  and  as  the  nth 
is  the  feast  of  S.  Martin  among  the  Latins,  the  commemoration  of  S.  John 
is  transferred  in  some  Martyrologies  to  Jan.  23rd,  in  others  to  Feb.  3rd, 
and  in  others  again  to  July  13th.  Authority,  his  life  by  Leontius,  Bishop 
of  Cyprus,  and  S.  John  Damascene,  Orat.  3  ;  also  a  life  in  Metaphrastes. 
Leontius  wrote  from  the  account  of  the  priests  of  Alexandria,  who  had 
been  under  S.  John.] 

John  the  Eleemosynary,  or  the  Almsgiver,  was  a  very 
wealthy  native  of  Amathus  in  Cyprus,  and  a  widower. 
Having  buried  all  his  children,  he  employed  his  whole 
fortune  in  relieving  the  necessities  of  the  poor. 

On  his  election  to  the  metropolitan  see  of  Alexandria, 
he  at  once  ordered  a  list  to  be  made  of  his  masters.    When 

ft—  — £, 


$ 

/anuarya*]  iS.    J okfl.  349 

asked  what  he  meant,  he  replied  that  he  desired  to  know 
how  many  poor  there  were  demanding  his  services  in  the 
great  city,  for,  like  his  Lord,  he  had  come  to  minister  to 
their  needs. 

As  many  as  7,500  were  found  without  a  livelihood. 
John  at  once  undertook  to  relieve  them.  Finding  that 
their  poor  little  savings  were  wasted  by  the  fraud  of  trades- 
men, who  used  unequal  balances  and  unjust  measures,  he 
at  once  began  an  attack  on  such  dealings,  and  thereby 
stirred  up  no  small  hostility  against  himself  on  the  part  of 
the  petty  shopkeepers. 

Twice  in  the  week  he  drew  his  chair  outside  the  church 
door,  and  placed  two  benches  before  it,  that  he  might  hear 
the  complaints  of  the  oppressed,  and  remedy  them,  as  far 
as  lay  in  his  power.  One  day  he  was  found  softly  crying. 
"  Why  these  tears  ?  "  he  was  asked.  "  None  seek  my  assist- 
ance this  day,"  he  replied.  "  Thou  shouldst  rather  rejoice 
that  there  is  no  need,"  said  his  interlocutor.  Then  he 
raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  with  a  joyous  smile,  and  thanked 
God.  He  built  hospitals  for  the  sick  and  visited  them, 
"not  as  captives,  but  as  brothers,"  says  Leontius.  He  was 
discreet  in  his  charities.  To  women  and  girls  he  gave 
twice  as  much  as  to  men,  because  they  are  less  able  to  earn 
a  living.  But  he  would  not  allow  anything  to  be  given  to 
those  who  were  dressy  and  adorned  with  trinkets.  But  it 
was  not  the  poor  alone  that  he  assisted.  A  merchantman, 
having  been  twice  mined  by  shipwrecks,  had  as  often  relief 
from  the  good  patriarch,  who  the  third  time  gave  him  a 
ship  belonging  to  the  church,  laden  with  corn.  This  vessel 
was  driven  by  a  storm  to  Britain,  where  raged  a  famine. 
He  was  therefore  able  to  sell  the  corn  at  a  good  price,  and 
brought  back  a  load  of  British  silver.1  A  nobleman  having 
been  greatly  reduced,  the  patriarch  ordered  his  treasurer  to 

1   From  the  mines  in  the  Cassiterides,  Devon  and  Cornwall. 

* ■ * 


* * 

350  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  j3. 

give  him  fifteen  pounds  of  gold.  The  treasurer  thinking 
this  too  much,  reduced  the  gift  to  five.  Almost  directly 
after,  a  wealthy  lady  sent  him  an  order  for  five  hundred 
pounds.  The  patriarch,  who  had  expected  more  from  that 
quarter,  asked  her  to  come  to  him.  "May  it  please  your 
Holiness,"  said  she ;  "  I  wrote  the  order  last  night  for  fifteen 
hundred  pounds,  but  this  morning  I  saw  that  the  10  on  the 
cheque  had  disappeared."  S.  John  at  once  concluded  that 
this  was  God's  doing.  He  turned  to  the  treasurer  and 
asked  how  much  had  been  given  the  poor  nobleman.  On 
the  hesitation  of  this  man,  he  sent  for  the  gentleman,  and 
found  that  his  liberal  orders  had  not  been  complied  with. 
"  What  is  sown  to  the  Lord,  the  Lord  restores  an  hundred 
fold,"  said  the  patriarch.  "  I  knew  that  five  pounds  alone 
could  have  been  given,  when  He  returned  me  only  five 
hundred." 

Nicetas  Patricius,  sub-praetor  of  Africa,  saw  the  lavish 
charity  of  the  patriarch  with  a  jealous  eye.  The  state  ex- 
chequer was  without  funds,  and  he  thought  to  appropriate 
the  wealth  of  the  patriarch  to  such  purposes  as  the  state 
required.  Accordingly,  one  day  he  visited  John  the  Alms- 
giver,  with  his  attendants,  and  peremptorily  demanded  his 
money.  "  Here  is  my  strong  box,"  said  the  patriarch ;  "  but 
the  money  belongs  to  the  church,  not  to  the  state.  If  you 
choose  to  take  it,  you  may  do  so,  but  I  will  not  give  it 
you,  for  it  is  not  mine  to  give." 

Nicetas,  without  more  ado,  ordered  his  servants  to 
shoulder  the  money  chest,  and  take  it  away.  As  he  opened 
the  door  to  leave,  he  saw  some  domestics  bringing  up  a 
number  of  pots  labelled  "  Virgin  Honey."  "  Hah  I"  said 
the  sub-praetor,  "  I  wish  you  would  give  me  a  taste  of  your 
honey  !"  "  You  shall  have  some,"  said  the  Patriarch.  Now 
when  the  pots  were  opened,  it  was  found  that  they  contained 
a  contribution  in  money  sent  to  the  Bishop;  as  indeed  those 


* — * 

January  23-1  ,5".    John.  351 

who  brought  them  announced.1  When  John  saw  the  amount 
thus  supplied  to  his  pillaged  treasury,  he  ordered  one  of  his 
servants  to  take  a  pot,  labelled  as  it  was,  to  Nicetas,  and  to 
put  it  on  his  table,  saying,  "  All  those  pots  you  met  coming 
upstairs,  as  you  went  out,  were  full  of  the  same  sort  of 
honey."  And  John  wrote  a  note,  which  he  attached  to  the 
pot,  to  this  effect :  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake 
thee,  said  the  Lord;  and  His  word  is  true,  and  no  lie. 
Think  not  that  mortal  man  can  restrain  the  everlasting  God. 
Farewell." 

Now,  Nicetas  was  sitting  at  table  with  friends  at  supper, 
when  it  was  announced  that  the  patriarch's  honey  awaited 
him.  He  ordered  it  at  once  to  be  set  on  the  table,  and  said, 
"  That  patriarch  is  out  of  temper  with  me,  that  I  can  see, 
or  he  would  have  sent  me  more  than  one  miserable  little 
pot."  But  when  he  opened  the  jar,  behold  !  it  was  full  of 
money.  Then  he  felt  compunction  for  what  he  had  done, 
and  he  ordered  his  servants  to  haste,  and  return  to  the 
patriarch  his  cash-box,  and  all  the  contents  of  the  honey-pot. 

Nicetas,  after  this,  became  friendly  to  the  patriarch,  who,  as 
a  token  of  response,  stood  godfather  to  his  children.  On  one 
occasion  this  friendship  was  clouded,  and  threatened  disso- 
lution. The  governor  had  imposed  a  tax,  which  fell  with 
peculiar  severity  on  the  poor.  John  complained,  and  back- 
biters were  not  slow  to  excite  Nicetas  against  John,  by 
representing  him  as  fomenting  general  discontent.  The 
governor  rushed  to  the  patriarch's  lodgings,  and  exploded 
into  a  storm  of  angry  words,  which  left  our  Saint  agitated 
and  distressed,     As  evening  drew  on,  he  wrote  on  a  scroll 

1  We  see  here  an  instance  of  the  manner  in  which  some  stories  of  miracles  were 
formed.  Leontius,  who  heard  the  story  from  the  clergy  acquainted  with  all  the  cir- 
cumstances, says  that  the  bearer  of  the  pots  told  the  Patriarch  that  they  contained 
money ;  but  that,  for  greater  security,  they  were  labelled  honey.  But  Meta- 
phrastes,  in  telling  the  story,  says  that,  miraculously,  the  honey  was  converted  into 
gold. 

* - * 


*- 


-* 


352  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  23. 

the  words,  "  The  sun  is  setting"  and  sent  it  to  Nicetas, 
who,  recalling  the  maxim  of  S.  Paul,  "  Let  not  the  sun  go 
down  upon  your  wrath,"  was  moved  to  regret  his  violence, 
and  he  sped  with  the  same  celerity  as  before,  but  with 
different  purpose,  to  the  residence  of  the  patriarch,  to  ask  his 
pardon,  and  heal  their  friendship. 

The  good  prelate  could  ill  bear  to  be  at  discord  with 
another,  though  the  fault  was  none  of  his. 

On  one  occasion  he  had  excommunicated,  for  a  few  days, 
two  clerks,  who  had  attacked  each  other  with  their  fists. 
One  bore  the  sentence  in  a  right  spirit  of  compunction,  but 
the  other  with  resentment.  Next  Sunday,  the  patriarch  was 
at  the  altar  celebrating.  As  the  deacon  was  about  to  remove 
the  veil  covering  the  sacred  vessels,  John  remembered  all  at 
once  the  hostility  of  the  clerk,  and  the  words  of  our  Lord  : 
"  If  thou  bringest  thy  gift  to  the  altar,  and  there  remem- 
berest  that  thy  brother  hath  ought  against  thee,  leave  there 
thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  thy  way ;  first  be  reconciled 
to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift."  (Matt.  v. 
25,  24.)  Then,  bidding  the  deacon  recite  the  general  prayer 
over  and  over  again  till  his  return,  he  left  the  altar,  and, 
entering  the  vestry,  sent  a  minister  to  bring  the  clerk  who 
was  not  in  charity  with  him.  And  when  this  man  came, 
the  patriarch  fell  before  him  on  his  knees,  and  bowed  his 
white  head,  and  said,  "  Pardon  me,  my  brother  I"  Then 
the  clerk,  full  of  shame  to  see  the  patriarch,  an  aged  man, 
in  all  his  splendid  vestments,  at  his  feet,  flung  himself  down, 
weeping,  confessed  his  wrong,  and  asked  forgiveness.  Then 
the  patriarch  embraced  him,  and  returning  to  the  altar, 
finished  the  sacrifice. 

Having  in  vain  exhorted  a  certain  nobleman  to  forgive  one 
with  whom  he  was  at  variance,  he  invited  him  to  his  private 
chapel,  to  assist  at  his  mass.  Now  as  they  were  reciting  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  the  patriarch  kept  silence  after  he  had  said, 

* . ^ 


# % 

January  j3.]  S.     J  okfl.  353 

"  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread  f  and  the  server,  at  a 
signal  from  him,  ceased  also ;  but  the  nobleman  continued, 
"  And  forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  them  that  tres- 
pass against  us," — and  then  noticed  that  he  had  made  that 
one  petition  alone,  so  he  paused.  Then  the  patriarch  turned 
round  at  the  altar  and  said,  "  What  hast  thou  now  asked  ? — 
to  be  forgiven  by  God  as  thou  forgivest  others."  The  noble- 
man was  pricked  at  the  heart,  and  fell  down  and  promised 
to  forget  the  wrong  that  had  been  done  him. 

Observing  that  as  soon  as  the  Gospel  was  read  at  Mass,  a 
portion  of  the  congregation  retired  and  stood  outside  the 
church,  talking  among  themselves,  the  patriarch  went  forth 
and  seated  himself  amongst  them,  saying,  "  Where  the  sheep 
are,  there  the  shepherd  must  also  be,"  and  they  with  shame 
came  into  church.  Thus  he  broke  through  a  pernicious 
custom. 

The  patriarch,  one  day,  took  a  bishop  named  Troilus, 
then  visiting  Alexandria,  to  see  his  poor  in  a  certain  quarter, 
where  he  had  erected  for  their  accommodation  a  number  ol 
domed  huts,  supplied  with  beds,  mattrasses,  and  blankets 
for  the  winter.  Now  Troilus  had  seen  a  handsome  chased 
silver  drinking  cup  in  the  town,  and  had  set  his  heart  upon 
it ;  it  cost  thirty  pounds,  and  he  had  brought  this  sum  with 
him,  intending  to  buy  the  cup  on  his  return,  and  when  he 
had  shaken  himself  free  from  the  charitable  patriarch.  "  I 
see,"  said  John,  "  you  have  some  money  with  you — many 
pounds,  if  I  mistake  not;  distribute  it  among  these  my 
poor." 

Troilus  was  unable  to  refuse  ;  and  so,  most  reluctantly, 

his  gold  went  into  the  pocket  of  the  beggars  instead  of  into 

that  of  the  silversmith.    He  was  so  greatly  put  out  about  this 

that  he  fretted  himself  into  a  fever.   The  patriarch,  not  seeing 

him,  or  hearing  of  him,  for  some  days,  sent  a  servant  to  invite 

him  to  dinner;    but  the  Bishop   declined,  saying  that  he 

vol.  i.                                                                        23 
* . %, 


354  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »3. 

suffered  from  a  bad  cold  and  fever.  Then  S.  John  hastened 
to  his  house  to  sympathize  with  the  sick  man,  but  soon 
discovering  that  there  was  more  of  temper  than  malady 
in  the  case,  he  guessed  the  cause,  and  said,  "  By  the 
way,  I  borrowed  of  you  thirty  pounds  the  other  day, 
for  my  poor  ;  if  you  are  so  disposed,  I  will  at  once  repay  the 
sum." 

Then — says  the  writer  of  the  life  of  S.  John — when  the 
Bishop  saw  the  money  in  the  hand  of  the  patriarch,  all  at 
once  his  fever  vanished,  his  cold  flew  away,  and  his  colour 
and  vigour  came  back ;  so  that  any  one  might  have  seen 
what  was  the  real  cause  of  his  indisposition.  "And  now,  if 
you  are  well  enough,  you  will  dine  with  me,"  said  the 
patriarch.  "  I  am  ready,"  answered  Bishop  Troilus,  jumping 
off  his  bed,  on  which  he  had  cast  himself  in  his  fever  of 
vexation. 

Now  it  fell  out  that  after  dinner  the  Bishop  dropped 
asleep  with  his  head  on  the  table,  and  in  a  dream  he  saw 
himself  in  a  wondrous  land  of  rare  beauty ;  and  there  he 
beheld  a  glorious  house  of  unearthly  beauty,  over  the  door 
of  which  was  inscribed,  "The  Eternal  Mansion  and 
Place  of  Repose  of  Troilus,  the  Bishop."  Having 
read  this,  he  was  glad.  But  there  came  by  a  certain  One,  with 
many  attendants  in  robes  of  white,  and  He  looked  up  and 
read  the  title,  and  said :  "  Not  so,  change  the  super- 
scription." Then  the  attendants  removed  the  writing,  and 
replaced  it  with  this,  "The  Eternal  Mansion  and  Place 
of  Repose  of  John,  Archbishop  of  Alexandria, 
purchased  for  Thirty  Pounds." 

One  of  his  domestic  servants  having  fallen  into  great 
difficulties,  the  patriarch  privately  helped  him,  by  giving  him 
two  pounds.  "  I  do  not  know  how  I  can  sufficiently  thank 
your  excellence  and  angelic  holiness,"  said  the  servant. 
"  No  thanks,"  said  the  patriarch,  "  Humble  John  " — so  he 

* —     * 


* * 

January  J3.]  S.     J oJllt.  355 

was  wont  to  call  himself — "  has  not  yet  shed  his  blood  for 
you,  as  his  Master  taught  him." 

There  was  a  certain  man,  named  Theopentus,  greatly 
given  to  charity,  who  died  leaving  an  only  son.  And  on  his 
death-bed,  he  called  the  boy,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  have  ten 
pounds,  and  that  is  all  that  remains  to  me ;  shall  I  give  it  to 
you  or  to  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God  ?"  And  when  the  boy 
said,  "  It  shall  be  her's  f  then  the  father  said,  "  Go  and 
spend  it  among  the  poor." 

Now  when  the  patriarch  heard  of  this,  and  that  the  orphan 
was  left  destitute,  and  was  in  great  want;  knowing  that  it 
would  hurt  him  to  offer  him  charity,  he  devised  an  innocent 
deception.  He  bade  a  scribe  draw  up  a  false  pedigree, 
making  himself  and  the  deceased  to  be  cousins,  and  he  bade 
him  show  it  to  the  youth,  and  bring  him  to  the  residence  of 
the  patriarch.  And  when  this  was  done,  the  holy  man  ran 
to  the  lad  and  kissed  him,  and  said,  "  How  is  this  !  that  the 
child  of  my  dear  kinsman  is  in  poverty.  I  must  provide  for 
thee,  my  dear  son."  So  he  made  him  an  allowance,  and 
married  and  settled  him  comfortably  in  Alexandria. 

When  the  Persians  devastated  the  Holy  Land  and  sacked 
Jerusalem,  S.  John  entertained  all  who  fled  into  Egypt,  and 
nursed  the  wounded.  He  also  sent  to  Jerusalem,  for  the 
use  of  the  poor  there,  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  a  thousand 
sacks  of  corn,  as  many  of  pulse,  one  thousand  barrels  of 
wine,  and  one  thousand  Egyptian  workmen  to  assist  in  re- 
building the  churches.  He  moreover  despatched  two  bishops 
and  an  abbot  to  ransom  the  captives. 

S.  John  lived  a  simple  life,  his  apparel,  the  furniture  of  his 
house,  his  diet,  were  all  of  the  meanest.  A  person  of  dis- 
tinction in  the  city,  being  informed  that  he  had  only  an  old 
tattered  blanket  on  his  bed,  sent  him  a  very  handsome  one. 
"  Humble  John  "  wore  it  over  him  for  one  night,  but  sold  it 
next  day,  and  gave  the  price  to  the  poor;  for,  during  the 

4, * 


* -* 

356  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January «3. 

night,  he  thought  of  some  poor  wretches  who  had  no 
blankets  at  all.  The  friend,  being  informed  of  this,  bought 
the  blanket,  and  sent  it  to  him  again.  It  met  with  the  same 
fate  as  before,  and  he  again  and  again  re-purchased  it.  "  We 
shall  see  who  will  be  tired  first,"  said  the  patriarch  ;  "  he  of 
buying,  or  I  of  selling,  the  blanket." 

There  was  one  class  of  men  to  whom  it  was  peculiarly  diffi- 
cult to  offer  assistance,  and  that  was  the  slaves,  placed  at  the 
almost  complete  disposal  of  their  masters.  But  the  watchful 
care  of  S.  John  did  not  forget  them.  To  the  masters  he 
spoke  noble  words  :  "  These  men  are  made  in  the  image  of 
God.  What  constitutes  you  different  from  them  ?  You  and 
your  slaves  have  legs  and  arms,  and  eyes  and  mouths,  and  a 
soul  alike.  S.  Paul  said,  '  Whosoever  is  baptised  into  Christ 
hath  put  on  Christ — ye  are  all  one  in  Christ.'  In  Christ 
master  and  slave  are  equal.  Christ  took  on  Him  the  form 
of  a  servant,  teaching  us  to  respect  our  servants.  God  re- 
gardeth  the  humble,  we  are  taught ;  He  says  not,  the  lofty 
ones,  but  those  who  are  least  esteemed.  For  the  sake  of  the 
poor  slave  were  the  heavens  made,  for  him  the  earth,  for  him 
the  stars,  for  him  the  sun,  for  him  the  sea  and  all  that  there- 
in is.  For  him  Christ  abased  Himself  to  wash  His  servants' 
feet,  for  him  He  suffered,  for  him  He  died.  Shall  we  pur- 
chase with  money  such  an  one,  so  honoured,  redeemed  with 
such  precious  blood  ?  You  ill-treat  a  servant,  as  though  he 
were  not  of  like  nature  with  you,  yet  is  he  highly  honoured 
by  God." 

A  monk  arrived  in  Alexandria  with  a  young  Jewess  in  his 
company,  whom  he  had  converted  and  baptized;  this 
caused  great  scandal,  and  by  order  of  the  patriarch,  he  was 
severely  beaten.  The  monk  bore  his  chastisement  meekly, 
without  exculpating  himself.  Next  day  it  was  made  so 
evident  that  the  monk  was  without  the  least  blame,  that  the 
patriarch  sent  for  him  to  ask  his  forgiveness,  and  ever  after 

* * 


THE   VIRGIN   APPEARING   TO   S.    ILDEPHONSUS. 
After  a  Painting  by  Murillo  in  the  Museum  at  Madrid. 


Jan.,  p.  356.] 


[Jan.  23. 


* 


January  a3.]  S.    J ' okfl.  357 

he  was  most  careful  not  to  judge  rashly.  "  My  sons,"  said 
he,  when  he  heard  people  blame  others ;  "  be  not  hasty  to 
judge  and  condemn.  We  see  often  the  sin  of  fornication, 
but  we  see  not  the  hidden  repentance.  We  see  the  crime  of 
a  theft,  but  we  see  not  the  sighs  and  tears  of  contrition. 
We  severely  blame  the  fornicator,  the  thief,  or  the  perjurer, 
but  God  receives  his  hidden  confessions,  and  bitter  sorrow, 
and  holds  it  as  very  precious." 

Nicetas,  the  governor,  persuaded  the  Saint  to  accompany 
him  to  Constantinople,  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Emperor.  S. 
John  was  admonished  from  heaven,  whilst  he  was  on  his  way, 
at  Rhodes,  that  his  death  drew  near ;  so  he  said  to  Nicetas, 
"  You  invite  me  to  the  king  of  the  earth  ;  but  the  King  of 
heaven  calls  me  to  Himself."  He  therefore  sailed  to  his 
native  island  of  Cyprus,  and  soon  after  died  at  Amanthus, 
the  home  of  his  boyhood  and  married  life,  and  where  he  had 
laid  his  wife  and  children,  and  there  he  fell  asleep  in  Christ 
at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  after  having  ruled  the  patriarchal  see 
of  Alexandria  ten  years. 


S.  RAYMUND,  OF  PENNAFORTE,  O.S.D. 

(a.d.   1275.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.     Authorities  :    The  bull  of  his  canonization,  by 
Clement  VIII.,  in  1601,  and  a  life  by  Leander  Albertus.] 

S.  Raymund  was  born  in  1175,  at  Pennaforte,  a  castle  in 
Catalonia.  At  the  age  of  thirty  he  went  to  Bologna,  in 
Italy,  to  perfect  himself  in  the  study  of  canon  and  civil  law. 
In  1 2 19  the  Bishop  of  Barcelona,  who  had  been  at  Rome, 
took  Raymund  home  with  him  and  made  him  archdeacon  of 
Barcelona.  In  1222  he  took  the  religious  habit  of  S. 
Dominic,  eight  months  after  the  founder  had  died.  James, 
King  of  Arragon,  had  married  Eleonora  of  Castile  within  the 


-* 


* * 

358  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January %%. 

prohibited  degrees,  without  a  dispensation.  A  legate  of  Pope 
Gregory  IX.,  in  a  council  of  bishops  held  at  Tarragona, 
declared  the  marriage  null.  Acting  on  the  mind  of  the 
prince,  by  his  great  sanctity  and  earnestness,  Raymund 
persuaded  him  to  introduce  the  inquisition  into  the  kingdom 
to  suppress  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  who  had  made 
many  converts  to  their  pernicious  doctrines.  The  object  of 
S.  Raymund  doubtless  was  that  it  should  serve  as  a  check 
to  the  diffusion  of  heresy,  and  be  a  protection  to  simple  souls 
against  the  poison  which  the  ministers  of  Antichrist  strove  to 
infuse  into  them.  The  inquisitors  were  to  be  the  dogs  pro- 
tecting the  sheep  from  the  wolves.  S.  Raymund  laboured 
diligently,  by  exhortation  and  example,  to  convert  the  Moors 
and  heretics,  and  his  efforts  were  attended  with  extraordinary 
success. 

Pope  Gregory  IX.,  having  called  S.  Raymund  to  Rome, 
made  him  his  confessor.  In  1235  he  was  named  to  the 
archbishopric  of  Tarragona,  but,  by  his  tears,  he  persuaded 
the  Pope  not  to  enforce  his  acceptance  of  the  responsible 
charge.  In  1238  he  was  chosen  general  of  the  Dominican 
order.  He  made  the  visitation  of  the  order  on  foot,  and 
reduced  the  constitution  to  a  more  complete  system  than 
heretofore.  Being  in  Majorca  with  the  king,  he  discovered 
that  King  James  was  living  in  adultery  with  a  lady  of  his 
court.  As  the  king  would  not  dissolve  the  sinful  union, 
the  Saint  implored  leave  to  depart ;  the  king  refused,  and 
forbade  any  shipper  taking  him  into  his  vessel.  Thereupon 
Raymund  boldly  spread  his  cloak  on  the  water,  and  standing 
on  it,  was  wafted  across  to  Barcelona.  This  miracle  so 
alarmed  the  king,  that  he  became  a  sincere  penitent.  Ray- 
mund died  on  Jan.  Cth,  1275,  at  the  age  of  a  hundred. 


*- 


* ^ 

January  24.]  ,£      Timothy.  359 

January  24. 

S.  Timothy,  B.  M.,  at  Ephesus,  a.d.  97. 

SS.  Babylus,  B.,  and  Companions,  MM.,  at  Antioch,  yd  cent. 

S.  Felician,  B.  M.  of  Foligni,  in  Italy,  a.d.  350. 

S.  Macedomus,  H.,  in  Syria,  beginning  of  $th  cent. 

S.  Eusebia,  V.,  at  Mylasa,  in  Caria  (Asia  Minor),  ah  cent. 

S.  Cadoc,  Ab.,  in  fFaUs,  and  M.,  6th  cent. 

S.  Zozimus,  B.  of  Babylon,  in  Egypt,  6th  cent. 

S.  TIMOTHY,  B.  OF  EPHESUS. 

(A.D.   97-) 

[By  almost  all  the  ancient  Latin  Martyrologies,  S.  Timothy  is  com- 
memorated on  this  day,  but  by  the  Greeks  on  Jan.  22.  The  Martyrology 
called  by  the  name  of  S.  Jerome  on  Sept.  27.  That  of  Wandelbert  on 
May  16,  possibly  because  ot  some  translation  of  relics.  Authorities  :  the 
Epistles  of  S.  Paul,  and  the  Acts  of  S.  Timothy,  by  Polycrates,  Bishop  of 
Ephesus  (210),  which,  however,  we  have  not  in  their  original  form,  but  in  a 
recension  of  the  5th  or  6th  century ;  other  Acts  of  S.  Timothy,  also  in 
Greek,  and  a  life  in  Metaphrastes.] 

[AINT  TIMOTHY,  the  beloved  disciple  of  S. 

Paul,   was   born   at   Lystra  in  Lycaonia.     His 

father  was  a  Gentile,  but  his  mother,  Eunice,  was 

a   Jewess.     She,  with   Lois,   his    grandmother, 

embraced  Christianity,  and  S.  Paul  commends  their  faith. 

S.  Timothy  had  made  the  writings  of  the  Old  Testament 

his  study  from  infancy.1     S.  Paul  took  the  young  man  as  the 

companion  of  his  labours,2  but  first  he  had  him  circumcised 

at  Lystra,   as  a  condescension    to   the   prejudices    of  the 

Jews.     He   would   not   suffer   S.   Titus,   born   of   Gentile 

parents,    to   be   brought   under  the  law,  but  Timothy,  on 

account  of  his  Jewish  mother,  to  avoid  scandal  to  the  Jews, 

he  submitted  to  circumcision. 

When   S.    Paul   was  compelled  to   quit  Bersea,  he   left 

1  2  Tim.  iii.  14.  '  1  Thess.  iii.  2;  1  Cor.  iv.  17. 


*■ 


■* 


* _ £, 

360  LiveS   Of  tlie   SaintS.  [Januarys^ 

Timothy  behind  him  to  confirm  the  new  converts.  But  on 
his  arrival  at  Athens  S.  Paul  sent  for  him,  and  sent  him  to 
Thessalonica  where  the  Christians  were  suffering  persecution. 
Thence  he  returned  to  S.  Paul,  who  was  then  at  Corinth,  to 
give  an  account  of  his  mission.1  From  Corinth  S.  Paul  went 
to  Jerusalem,  and  thence  to  Ephesus.  Here  he  formed  the 
resolution  of  returning  into  Greece,  and  he  sent  Timothy 
and  Erastus  before  him  through  Macedonia,  to  apprize  the 
faithful  in  those  parts  of  his  intention  of  visiting  them. 
Timothy  had  a  special  charge  to  go  afterwards  to  Corinth,  to 
correct  certain  abuses  there.  S.  Paul  awaited  his  return,  in 
Asia,  and  then  went  with  him  into  Macedonia  and  Achaia. 

During  the  subsequent  imprisonment  of  S.  Paul,  Timothy 
appears  to  have  been  with  him.  He  was  ordained  Bishop 
of  Ephesus,  probably  in  the  year  64.  S.  Paul  wrote  his 
first  Epistle  to  Timothy  from  Macedonia,  in  64;  and  his 
second  in  65,  from  Rome,  while  there  in  chains,  to  press 
him  to  come  to  Rome,  that  he  might  see  him  again  before 
he  died. 

S.  Timothy  was  afterwards  associated  with  S.  John ;  and 
in  the  Apocalypse  he  is  the  Angel,  or  Bishop,  of  the  Church 
of  Ephesus,  to  whom  Christ  sends  His  message  by  S.  John.2 
During  the  great  annual  feast  of  the  Catagogii,  which  con- 
sisted of  processions  bearing  idols,  with  women  lewdly 
dancing  before  them,  and  ending  in  bloodshed,  S.  Timothy 
moved  by  righteous  zeal,  rushed  into  the  portico  of  the 
temple,  and  exhorted  the  frenzied  revellers  to  decency ;  but 
this  so  enraged  them,  that  they  fell  upon  him  with  sticks  and 
stones,  and  killed  him. 

1  Acts  xviii.  *  Rev.  ii.  i,  7. 


* £l 


S.    TIMOTHY. 
From  a  Window  of  the  Eleventh  Century  at  Neuweiler. 


Jan.,  p.  360.] 


[Jan.  24. 


* «fl 

January  a4.i     S.  Babylus  and  Companions.  361 

SS.  BABYLUS,  B.,  AND  COMPANIONS,  MM. 

(3RD   CENT.) 

[Latin  Martyrologies  Jan.  24  ;  Greek  Menaea  Sept.  4.  Authorities  : 
Eusebius,  Sozomen,  Philostorgius ;  and  his  Acts,  written  by  Leontius, 
patriarch  of  Antioch,  A.D.  348,  which  exist  only  in  a  fragmentary  con- 
dition ;  also  S.  Chrysostom  :  Contra  Gentiles  de  S.  Babyla,  and  Horn, 
de  S.  Babyla  ;  the  latter  written  in  387.J 

On  the  death  of  Zebinus,  patriarch  of  Antioch,  in  the 
year  237,  S.  Babylus  was  elected  to  the  patriarchal  throne. 
The  Emperor  Philip,  passing  through  Antioch  in  244,  and 
being,  as  is  supposed,  a  catechumen,  desired  to  visit  the 
church.  Babylus,  informed  of  his  approach,  went  to  meet 
him  at  the  gate,  and  forbade  his  ingress,  because  he  was 
stained  with  the  blood  of  his  predecessor,  Gordian,  who  had 
associated  him  in  the  empire,  and  whom  he  had  basely 
murdered. 

According  to  S.  Chrysostom,  who  relates  this  anecdote, 
the  Emperor  withdrew  in  confusion.  But  according  to  the 
Acts  it  was  not  the  Emperor  Philip,  but  the  governor, 
Numerian,  who  attempted  to  enter  the  church,  but  was 
repulsed  as  being  an  idolator  and  stained  with  murder,  by 
the  dauntless  Bishop ;  and  Nicephorus  Callistus,  and 
Philostorgius  say  the  same.  Certain  it  is  that  S.  Babylus 
suffered  under  this  governor  Numerian,  son  of  Cams,  who 
was  afterwards,  for  eight  months,  emperor,  conjointly  with  his 
brother  Carinus.  Babylus,  and  three  little  boys,  aged  re- 
spectively twelve,  nine,  and  seven,  orphans,  whom  he  brought 
up  in  his  house,  were  so  cruelly  handled  by  the  torturers 
before  the  governor,  that  the  boys  died,  and  Babylus 
expired  shortly  after  in  prison.  In  order  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
abominations  of  the  famous  temple  and  oracle  of  Daphne, 
the  zealous  Emperor  Gallus,  brother  of  Julian,  buried  the 
body  of  S.  Babylus  opposite  the  temple  gate.  From  that  day 
the  oracle  ceased  to  speak.     The  apostate  Emperor  Julian 

* _ ►£< 


*- 


-* 


362  LtVeS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  a4. 

ordered  its  removal,  in  hopes  of  restoring  liberty  to  the 
demon  who  uttered  the  oracles,  and  the  Christians  translated 
the  sacred  relics  to  the  city,  "singing  psalms  along  the 
road,"  says  Sozomen.  "  The  best  singers  went  first,  and  the 
multitude  chanted  in  chorus,  and  this  was  the  burden  of 
their  song :  Confounded  are  all  they  that  worship  carved 
images,  and  delight  in  vain  gods."1 


S.  MACEDONIUS,  H. 

(BEGINNING    OF    5TH    CENT.) 

[Greek  Menasa.  Authorities  :  Theodoret  in  his  Philotheus,  c.  13,  and  his 
Ecclesiastical  Hist.  lib.  v.  c.  20;  Nicephorus  Callistus,  lib.  xii.  44.  Theo- 
doret's  mother  was  under  the  direction  of  S.  Macedonius.] 

S.  Macedonius  lived  a  life  of  great  austerity  on  barley 
and  water.  For  forty-five  years  he  inhabited  a  dry  ditch, 
after  that  he  spent  twenty-five  in  a  rude  cabin. 

A  sedition  having  broken  out  in  Antioch,  and  the  people 
having  overthrown  the  statue  of  the  Empress  Flacilla, 
Theodosius,  the  Emperor,  in  a  fit  of  rage,  ordered  the  city 
to  be  set  on  fire  and  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  village. 
Blood  would  also  have  been  infallibly  shed,  had  not  S. 
Ambrose  obtained  from  Theodosius,  shortly  before,  the 
passing  of  the  law  that  no  sentence  against  a  city  should  take 
effect  till  thirty  days  had  expired.  The  Emperor  sent  his 
chamberlain,  Eleutherius,  to  Antioch  to  execute  his  severe 
sentence  against  the  city  and  its  inhabitants.  As  he  entered 
the  streets  lined  with  trembling  citizens,  a  ragged  hermit,  it 
was  Macedonius,  plucked  him  by  the  cloak  and  said  :  "  Go 
to  the  Emperor,  and  say  to  him  from  me,  You  are  not  only 
an  Emperor,  but  a  man  ;  and  you  ought  not  only  to  remem- 

1  Hist.  EccL  v.  c.  19:  also  Socrates,  Eccl.  Hist.  iii.  19. 
* — ^ 


*- 


-* 


January  *♦.]  ,£     CodoC.  363 

ber  what  is  due  to  an  empire,  but  also  to  human  nature. 
Man  was  made  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God.  Do  not 
then  order  the  image  of  God  to  be  destroyed.  You  pass 
this  cruel  sentence,  because  an  image  of  bronze  has  been 
overthrown.  And  for  that  will  you  slay  living  men,  the  hair 
of  whose  head  you  cannot  make  to  grow?"  When  this 
speech  was  reported  to  the  Emperor,  he  regretted  his  angry 
sentence,  and  sent  to  withdraw  it. 


S.  CADOC,  AB. 

(BETWEEN    A.D.    522    AND    5QO.) 

["English  and  Galilean  Martyrologies.  Through  a  strange  confusion,  S. 
Cadoc  of  Wales  has  been  identified  with  S.  Sophias  of  Beneventum  in  Italy  ; 
because  S.  Cadoc  appears  in  the  Martyrologies  as  S.  Cadoc,  at  Benavenna 
(Weedon),  and  S.  Sophias  or  Sophius  Bishop  of  Beneventum  being  com- 
memorated the  same  day,  the  life  given  by  Bollandus,  with  hesitation,  is  a 
confused  jumble  of  these  two  saints  into  one.  The  best  account  of  S. 
Cadoc  is  in  Rees  "  Lives  of  the  Cambro-British  Saints  ;"  and  in  La  Ville- 
marque^s  La  Legende  Celtique.  There  is  also  a  poem  composed  in  honour 
of  S.  Cadoc,  by  Richard  ap  Rhys  of  Llancarvan,  between  1450  and  1480, 
published  in  the  Iolo  MSS.,  p.  301,  and  the  sentences,  proverbs  and  apho- 
risms of  S.  Cadoc  are  to  be  found  in  Myvrian  Archaeology,  iii.  p.  10.  Tlv. 
following  epitome  of  his  life  is  from  M.  de  Montalembert's  Monks  of  the 
West,  with  additions  from  M.  de  ViUe-marque"  and  corrections  from  Rees.] 

Immediately  after  the  period  occupied  in  the  annals  of 
Wales  by  King  Arthur  and  the  monk-bishop  David,  appears 
S.  Cadoc,  a  personage  regarding  whom  it  is  difficult  to 
make  a  distinction  between  history  and  legend,  but  whose 
life  has  left  a  profound  impression  upon  the  Keltic  races. 
His  father  Gwynllyw  Filwr,  surnamed  the  Warrior,  one  of 
the  petty  kings  of  South  Wales,  having  heard  much  of  the 
beauty  of  the  daughter  of  a  neighbouring  chief,  had  her 
carried  off  by  a  band  of  three  hundred  vassals,  from  the 
midst  of  her  sisters,  and  from  the  door  of  her  own  chamber, 


* * 

364  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  a*. 

in  her  father's  castle.  The  father  hastened  to  the  rescue  of 
his  daughter  with  all  his  vassals  and  allies,  and  soon  over- 
took Gwynllyw,  who  rode  with  the  young  princess  at  the 
croup,  going  softly  not  to  fatigue  her.  It  was  not  an 
encounter  favourable  for  the  lover :  two  hundred  of  his 
followers  perished,  but  he,  himself,  succeeded  in  escaping 
safely  with  the  lady.  Of  this  rude  warrior  and  this  beautiful 
princess  was  to  be  born  the  saint  who  has  been  called  the 
Doctor  of  the  Welsh,  and  who  founded  the  great  monastic 
establishment  of  Llancarvan.  The  very  night  of  his  birth, 
the  soldiers,  or,  to  speak  more  justly,  the  robber-followers  of 
the  king,  his  father,  who  had  been  sent  to  pillage  the  neigh- 
bours right  and  left,  stole  the  milch  cow  of  a  holy  Irish 
monk,  who  had  no  sustenance,  he  nor  his  twelve  disciples, 
except  the  abundant  milk  of  this  cow.  When  informed  of 
this  nocturnal  theft,  the  monk  got  up,  put  on  his  shoes  in 
all  haste,  and  hurried  to  reclaim  his  cow  from  the  king,  who 
was  still  asleep.  The  latter  took  advantage  of  the  occasion 
to  have  his  new-born  son  baptized  by  the  pious  solitary,  and 
made  him  promise  to  undertake  the  education  and  future 
vocation  of  the  infant  The  Irishman  gave  him  the  name 
of  Cadoc,  (Cattwg,)  which  means  warlike;  and  then,  having 
recovered  his  cow,  went  back  to  his  cell  to  await  the  king's 
son,  who  was  sent  to  him  at  the  age  of  seven,  having 
already  learned  to  hunt  and  fight.  The  young  prince 
passed  twelve  years  with  the  Irish  monk,  whom  he  served, 
lighting  his  fire  and  cooking  his  food,  and  who  taught  him 
the  rudiments  of  I^atin  grammar.  Preferring  the  life  of  a 
recluse  to  the  throne  of  his  father,  he  went  to  Ireland  for 
three  years,  to  carry  on  his  education  at  Lismore,  a 
celebrated  monastery  school,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Wales,  and  continued  his  studies  under  a  famous  Roman 
rhetorician,  newly  arrived  from  Italy.  This  doctor  had 
more    pupils  than  money ;   famine  reigned  in  his  schooL 

£1 * 


January  a4.]  S.     CctdoC.  365 

One  day  poor  Cadoc,  who  fasted  continually,  was  learning 
his  lesson  in  his  cell,  seated  before  a  little  table,  and  lean- 
ing his  head  on  his  hands,  when  suddenly  a  white  mouse, 
coming  out  of  a  hole  in  the  wall,  jumped  on  the  table, 
and  put  down  a  grain  of  corn ;  then  Cadoc  rising,  followed 
the  mouse  into  a  cellar,  one  of  those  old  Keltic  subterranean 
granaries,  remains  of  which  are  found  to  this  day  in  Wales 
and  Cornwall.  There  Cadoc  found  a  large  heap  of  corn, 
which  served  to  feed  the  master  and  his  pupils  for  many 
days. 

Having  early  decided  to  embrace  monastic  life,  he  hid 
himself  in  a  wood,  where,  after  making  a  narrow  escape  from 
assassination  by  an  armed  swineherd  of  a  neighbouring 
chief,  he  saw,  near  a  forgotten  fountain,  where  a  white 
swan  floated,  an  enormous  wild  boar,  white  with  age, 
coming  out  of  his  den,  and  make  three  bounds,  one  after 
another,  stopping  each  time,  and  turning  round  to  stare 
furiously  at  the  stranger  who  had  disturbed  him  in  his 
resting  place.  Cadoc  marked  with  three  branches  the  three 
bounds  of  the  wild  boar,  which  afterwards  became  the  site 
of  the  church,  dormitories,  and  refectory  of  the  great  abbey 
of  Llancarvan.  The  abbey  took  its  name,  "  The  Church  of 
the  Stags,"  from  the  legend  that  two  deers  from  the  neigh- 
bouring wood  came  one  day  to  replace  two  idle  and 
disobedient  monks  who  had  refused  to  perform  the  neces- 
sary labour  for  the  construction  of  the  monastery,  saying, 
"Are  we  oxen,  that  we  should  be  yoked  to  carts,  and 
compelled  to  drag  timber?" 

The  rushes  were  torn  up,  the  briars  and  thorns  were  cut 
down,  and  S.  Cadoc  dug  deep  trenches  to  drain  the  morass 
formed  about  the  fountain  he  had  discovered.  One  day, 
when  the  chapel  he  was  building  was  nearly  completed,  a 
monk  came  that  way,  bearing  on  his  back  a  leather  pouch 
containing  tools  for  working  metal,  and  some  specimens  of 

(ji- £, 


# — * 

366  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »4. 

his  handicraft  His  name  was  Gildas.  He  was  the  son  of 
a  chief  in  Westmoreland,  and  his  brother,  Aneurin,  was  one 
day  famous  among  the  bards  of  Britain.1  Gildas  opened 
his  bag  and  produced  a  bell.  Its  form  was  that  of  a  tall 
square  cap,  and  it  was  made  of  a  mixture  of  silver  and 
copper,  not  molten,  but  hammered. 

Cadoc  took  the  bell  and  sounded  it,  and  the  note  was  so 
sweet  that  he  greatly  desired  the  bell,  and  asked  Gildas  to 
give  it  him.  "  No,"  said  the  bell-maker ;  "  I  have  destined 
it  for  the  altar  of  S.  Peter  at  Rome."  But  when  Gildas 
offered  the  bell  to  the  Pope,  the  holy  father  was  unable  to 
sound  it ;  then  Gildas  knew  he  must  give  it  to  the  Welsh 
monk ;  so  he  returned  to  Britain,  and  offered  it  to  Cadoc, 
and  when  he  held  it,  the  bell  rang  sweetly  as  heretofore. 

Llancarvan  became  a  great  workshop,  where  numerous 
monks,  subject  to  a  very  severe  rule,  bowed  their  bodies 
under  the  yoke  of  continual  fatigue,  clearing  the  forests,  and 
cultivating  the  fields  when  cleared ;  it  was  besides,  a  great 
literary  and  religious  school,  in  which  the  study  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  held  the  van,  and  was  followed  by  that  of  the 
ancient  authors,  and  their  more  modern  commentators. 
Cadoc  loved  to  sum  up,  chiefly  under  the  form  of  sentences 
in  verse  and  poetical  aphorisms,  the  instructions  given  to 
his  pupils  of  the  Llancarvan  cloister.  A  great  number  of 
such  utterances  have  been  preserved.  We  instance  a  few. 
"Truth  is  the  elder  daughter  of  God.  Without  light 
nothing  is  good.  Without  light  there  is  no  piety.  Without 
light  there  is  no  religion.  Without  light  there  is  no  faith. 
The  sight  of  God,  that  is  light."  "  Without  knowledge,  no 
power.  Without  knowledge,  no  wisdom.  Without  know- 
ledge, no  freedom.  Without  knowledge,  no  beauty. 
Without  knowledge,  no  nobility.     Without  knowledge,  no 

1  The  Gododdin.apoem  descriptive  of  the  massacre  of  the  British  chiefs  at  Stone- 
henge  by  Hengest,  was  composed  by  Aneurin  whilst  in  prison. 

* # 


£, _ * 

January  24.]  .S*.     CadoC.  $6  J 

victory.  Without  knowledge,  no  honour.  Without  know- 
ledge, no  God."  "  The  best  of  attitudes  is  humility.  The 
best  of  occupations  is  work.  The  best  of  sentiments,  pity. 
The  best  of  cares,  justice.  The  best  of  pains,  peace- 
making. The  best  of  sorrows,  contrition.  The  best  of 
characters,  generosity."  When  one  of  his  disciples  asked  him 
to  define  love,  he  answered,  "  Love,  it  is  Heaven."  "  And 
hate  ?"  asked  his  disciple.  "  Hate  is  hell."  "  And  con- 
science ?"  "  It  is  the  eye  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man."  "  The 
best  of  patriots,"  said  S.  Cadoc,  "  is  he  who  tills  the  soil." 

When  a  chief  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  robbers,  came 
to  pillage  Llancarvan,  S.  Cadoc  went  against  him  with 
his  monks  armed  with  their  harps,  chanting  and  striking 
the  strings.  Then  the  chief  recoiled,  and  left  them  un- 
molested. Another  chief,  enraged  at  Cadoc  receiving  his 
son  into  his  monastery,  came  with  a  force  to  reclaim  the 
youth  and  destroy  the  cloister.  Cadoc  went  to  meet  him, 
bathed  in  sunshine,  and  found  the  chief  and  his  men  groping 
in  darkness.  He  gave  them  light,  and  they  returned 
ashamed  to  their  homes. 

Cadoc  had  the  happiness  of  assisting  in  the  conversion  of 
his  father.  In  the  depths  of  his  cloister  he  groaned  over 
the  rapines  and  sins  of  the  old  robber  from  whom  he 
derived  his  life.  Accordingly  he  sent  to  his  father's  house 
three  of  his  monks,  to  preach  repentance.  His  mother,  the 
beautiful  Gwladys,  was  the  first  to  be  touched,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  she  persuaded  her  husband  to  agree  with  her. 
They  called  their  son  to  make  to  him  a  public  confession  of 
their  sins,  and  then,  father  and  son  chanted  together  the 
psalm,  "  Exaudiat  te  Dominus" — "  The  Lord  hear  thee  in 
the  day  of  trouble."  When  this  was  ended,  the  king  and 
queen  retired  into  solitude,  establishing  themselves  in  two 
cabins  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  where  they  worked  for  their 
livelihood,  and  were  often  visited  by  their  son. 

* ~* 


* * 

368  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  m- 

The  invasion  of  the  Saxons  obliged  S.  Cadoc  to  fly,  first 
to  the  island  of  Flat-holmes  in  the  Bristol  Channel,  and  then 
into  Brittany,  where  he  founded  a  new  monastery,  on  a 
little  desert  island  of  the  archipelago  of  Morbihan,  which  is 
still  shown  from  the  peninsula  of  Rhuys ;  and  to  make  his 
school  accessible  to  the  children  of  the  district,  who  had  to 
cross  to  the  isle  and  back  again  in  a  boat,  he  threw  a  stone 
bridge  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  across  this  arm  of 
the  sea.  In  this  modest  retreat  the  Welsh  prince  resumed 
his  monastic  life,  adapting  it  especially  to  his  ancient 
scholarly  habits.  He  made  his  scholars  learn  Virgil  by 
heart :  and  one  day,  while  walking  with  his  friend  and 
companion,  the  famous  historian  Gildas,  with  his  Virgil 
under  his  arm,  the  abbot  began  to  weep  at  the  thought  that 
the  poet,  whom  he  loved  so  much,  might  be  even  then 
perhaps  in  hell.  At  the  moment  when  Gildas  reprimanded 
him  severely  for  that  "  perhaps,"  protesting  that  without  any 
doubt  Virgil  must  be  damned,  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  tossed 
Cadoc's  book  into  the  sea.  He  was  much  moved  by  this 
accident,  and,  returning  to  his  cell,  said  to  himself,  "  I  will 
not  eat  a  mouthful  of  bread,  nor  drink  a  drop  of  water,  till  I 
know  truly  what  fate  God  has  allotted  to  one  who  sang 
upon  earth  as  the  angels  sing  in  heaven."  After  this,  he  fell 
asleep,  and  soon  after,  dreaming,  he  heard  a  soft  voice 
addressing  him,  "Pray  for  me,  pray  for  me,"  said  the 
voice,  "  never  be  weary  of  praying ;  I  shall  yet  sing  eternally 
the  mercy  of  the  Lord." 

The  next  morning  a  fisherman  brought  him  a  salmon,  and 
the  Saint  found  in  the  fish  the  book  which  the  wind  had 
snatched  out  of  his  hands. 

After  a  sojourn  of  several  years  in  Brittany,  Cadoc  left  his 
new  community  flourishing  under  the  government  of  anothei 
pastor,  and  to  put  in  practice  that  maxim  which  he  loved  to 
repeat  to  his  followers  : — "  Wouldst  thou  find  glory  ?  march 

^ — — 1£ 


>£- * 

Januarys]  S.     CdcloC.  369 

to  the  grave."  He  returned  to  Britain,  not  to  find  again 
the  ancient  peace  and  prosperity  of  his  beloved  retreat  of 
Llancarvan,  but  to  establish  himself  in  the  very  centre  of  the 
Saxon  settlements,  and  console  the  numerous  Christians 
who  had  survived  the  massacres  of  the  Conquest,  and  lived 
under  the  yoke  of  a  foreign  and  heathen  race.  He  settled 
at  Weedon,  in  the  county  of  Northampton ;]  and  it  was  there 
that  he  awaited  his  martyrdom.  One  morning,  when  vested 
in  the  ornaments  of  his  priestly  office,  as  he  was  celebrating  the 
Divine  Sacrifice,  a  furious  band  of  Saxon  cavalry,  chasing 
the  Christians  before  them,  entered  pell-mell  into  the  church, 
and  crowded  towards  the  altar.  The  Saint  continued  the 
sacrifice  as  calmly  as  he  had  begun  it.  A  Saxon  chief, 
urging  on  his  horse,  and  brandishing  his  lance,  went  up  to 
him  and  struck  him  to  the  heart.  Cadoc  fell  on  his  knees  ; 
and  his  last  desire,  his  last  thought,  were  still  for  his  dear 
countrymen.  "  Lord,"  he  said,  while  dying,  "  invisible  King, 
Saviour  Jesus,  grant  me  one  grace, — protect  the  Christians 
of  my  country !" 

1  The  ancient  name  of  Weedon  having  been  Benavcnna,  this  has  helped  to  cause 
the  confusion  which  arose  between  S.  Cadoc  and  S.  Sophias  of  Benevento  in  Italy. 


3.   Paul,   after  a  Bronze  in  Christian  Museum  in  the  Vatican 


vou  I.  24 

*- -* 


* — * 

37^  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »*. 


January  25. 

Conversion  or  S.  Paul. 

S.  Artemas,  M.,  at  Puteoli. 

SS.  Juventine  and  Maximus,  MM.,  at  Antloch,  a.d.  362. 

S.  Publius,  Ab.  of  Zeugma,  in  Syria,  4/A  cent. 

S.  Apollo,  Ab.  in  Egypt,  circ.  a.d.  395. 

S.  Mares,/**,  in  Syria,  $th  cent. 

S.  Pr*jectus,  B.,  and  Companions,  at  Clermont,  a.d.  674. 

S.  Poppo,  Ab.  of  Sta-velot,  in  Belgium,  a.d.  1048. 

B.  Henry  of  Suso,  O.S.D.,  at  Vim,  in  Germany,  a.d.  1365. 

THE  CONVERSION  OF  S.  PAUL. 

[The  circumstances  of  the  Conversion  of  S.  Paul  are  so  fully  recorded  in 
the  Acts  of  the  Holy  Apostles,  chaps,  xix. ,  xxii.,  xxvi.,  as  not  to  need 
repetition  here,  being  familiar  to  all.  Among  the  Greeks,  S.  Ananias,  who 
baptized  S.  Paul,  is  commemorated  on  this  day.] 


S.  ARTEMAS,  M. 

[Commemorated  at  Puteoli  and  Naples  under  the  name  of  Artemas, 
but  in  the  ancient  Martyrology  attributed  to  S.  Jerome,  he  is  called  Anti- 
masius,  a  mistake  of  copyists  for  Artimasius  or  Artemas.  The  Acts  are 
those  preserved  by  the  Church  of  Puteoli,  and  seem  to  be  founded  on  others 
of  great  antiquity  ;  they  exist  only  in  a  fragmentary  condition,  and  give  no 
clue  to  the  date  of  the  martyrdom.] 

jjRTEMAS  was  a  pious  Christian  boy  in  Puteoli, 
in  the  south  of  Italy.     He  was  sent  to  school  to 
one  Cathageta,  a  heathen.   Out  of  the  abundance 
of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh,  and  the  boy, 
filled  with  faith,  spoke  of  his  belief  to  some  of  his  fellow- 
scholars.     It  was  soon  known  among  the  boys  that  Artemas 
was  a  Christian,  and  it  came  to  the  master's  ears.     Catha- 
geta lectured  and  browbeat  the  little  scholar,  and  threatened 
him  with  the  rod.     "  You  may  whip,"  said  the  brave  boy  ; 

4< >j< 


* 


January jj.]    .SVS".   J uv entine  and  Maximus.  371 

"  but  you  will  only  whip  my  faith  deeper  into  me."  Then 
the  master,  in  a  rage,  shouted  to  the  boys  to  punish  him,  and 
the  cruel  tiger-cubs,  educated  to  bloodshed  by  the  atrocities 
of  the  arena,  fell  upon  him  with  their  iron  pens,  used  for 
scratching  on  wax  tablets,  and  stabbed  him  to  death. 


SS.  JUVENTINE  AND  MAXIMUS,  MM.,  AT 
ANTIOCH. 

(a.d.  362.) 

[Authorities  :  the  40th  Homily  of  S.  John  Chrysostom ;  Theodoret,  Tiisi. 
Eccl.  lib.  iii.  c.  15  ;  Nicephorus  Callistus,  lib.  x.  c.  12.] 

Theodoret  says  : — "  The  Emperor  Julian  continued  to 
oppose  religion  with  greater  and  greater  boldness,  while  he 
assumed  the  specious  appearance  of  clemency,  in  order  to 
lay  snares  to  entrap  men,  and  seduce  them  into  irreligion. 
He  cast  things  offered  to  idols  into  the  fountains  of  the  city 
of  Antioch,  so  that  no  one  could  drink  of  the  streams  with- 
out partaking  of  the  hateful  sacrifices.     He  defiled  in  the 
same  way  everything  that  was  sold  in  the  market-place ;  for 
he  had  water  which  had  been  offered  to  idols  sprinkled  on 
the  bread,  meat,  fruit,  herbs,  and  all  other  articles  of  food. 
The  Christians  lamented  these  abominations,  yet  partook  of 
the  food  according  to  the  precept  of  the  Apostle.  (1  Cor.  x. 
25.)     Two  of  the  Emperor's  guards,  who  were  his  shield- 
bearers  and  companions  in  arms,  vehemently  deplored,  at  a 
certain  convivial  meeting,  the  perpetration  of  such  odious 
deeds.     One  of  those  who  had  been  present  acquainted  the 
Emperor  with  this  speech.    The  Emperor  sent  for  these  two 
men,  and  asked  what  it  was  that  they  had  said.     This  ques- 
tion they  answered  thus,  in  the  warmth  of  their  zeal :  '  O 
Emperor,  having  been  brought  up  in  the  true  religion,  and 


i 


~* 


372  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »$. 

having  been  accustomed  to  the  admirable  laws  of  Constan- 
tine,  we  cannot  but  be  deeply  grieved  at  witnessing  the  very 
food  contaminated  by  being  mixed  with  idol  offerings.  We 
lamented  this  privately,  and  now,  publicly,  we  express  our 
regret.  This  is  the  only  cause  of  sorrow  which  we  experience 
under  your  government.'  On  hearing  these  words  the  Em- 
peror threw  off  the  mask  of  clemency.  Such  excruciating 
tortures  were,  by  his  orders,  inflicted  on  these  two  men,  that 
they  expired  under  them.  The  Church  of  Antioch  honoured 
them  as  defenders  of  religion,  and  interred  them  in  a  mag- 
nificent tomb  ;  and  even  to  this  day  an  annual  festival  is 
celebrated  in  their  honour.  Their  names  were  Juventius 
(Juventinus)  and  Maximus." 


S.  APOLLO,  AB.  IN  THE  THEBAID. 
(about  a.d.  395.) 

[Commemorated  on  this  day  by  Greeks  and  Latins  alike,  though  some 
Latin  Martyrologies  note  him  on  the  18th  April.  Authorities  :  his  life  by 
Palladius  in  the  Hist.  Lausiaca  ;  and  Sozomen,  lib.  iii.  c.  14,  who  calls  him 
Apollonius.  Palladius  is  an  excellent  authority,  for  during  his  residence 
.among  the  hermits  of  the  Thebaid,  he  was  personally  acquainted  with 
Apollo.] 

This  illustrious  hermit  began  his  discipline  of  himself  by 
a  solitary  life  in  the  desert,  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  He  spent 
forty  years  by  himself,  and  then,  called  by  God  to  guide  the 
souls  of  others,  he  became  head  of  a  congregation  of  monks 
in  Upper  Egypt.  In  the  reign  of  Julian  the  Apostate,  hear- 
ing that  his  brother,  who  was  in  the  army,  was  imprisoned 
for  his  religion,  he  went  at  the  head  of  his  monks  to  visit 
him.  The  tribune  entering  the  prison  shortly  after,  and 
seeing  so  many  monks  within,  ordered  the  gates  to  be 
closed,  and  vowed  he  would  enlist  them  all  as  soldiers.    But 

* * 


January  aj.]  S.     Apollo.  373 

in  the  night  an  angel  came,  bearing  a  lamp,  and  opened  the 
doors  of  the  prison  and  led  them  forth,  and  they  escaped 
with  great  joy  to  their  beloved  desert.  About  fifty  monks 
obeyed  him ;  but  he  did  not  confine  his  sympathies  to  them. 
Hearing  that  the  country  people  were  about  to  fight  one 
another  about  some  trifling  subject  of  contention,  Apollo 
rushed  from  his  rocks,  and  flinging  himself  amongst  them, 
conjured  them  not  to  shed  one  another's  blood.  One  party 
promised  to  retire,  but  the  other,  headed  by  a  redoubted 
robber,  confident  in  his  powers,  held  out.  Then  Apollo 
turned  to  the  chief  and  said,  "  My  son,  lay  down  thine  arms, 
and  I  will  pray  God  to  pardon  thy  many  offences."  The 
man  cast  away  his  weapons,  and  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of 
the  abbot  On  another  occasion  he  heard  that  a  village 
procession  of  a  famous  wooden  idol  was  about  to  take  place; 
he  went  down,  and  kneeling,  prayed  God  to  prevent  it.  Then 
the  image  became  immovable,  so  that  neither  priest  nor 
people  could  take  it  from  its  place  in  the  temple.  The 
priests  said,  "  A  Christian  has  done  this."  "  Yes,"  said 
Apollo,  "  I  have  done  it  by  my  prayers,"  and  he  exhorted 
the  people  to  forsake  the  worship  of  such  vain  gods. 

One  Easter  day  the  community  had  only  some  old  stale 
loaves  and  a  few  dried  olives,  and  they  lamented  that  on  so 
great  a  day  they  must  fast,  as  in  Lent.  "  Be  of  good  cheer," 
said  the  abbot,  "  let  each  ask  for  what  he  likes  best,  and  on 
such  a  day  the  loving  God  will  give  it  him."  But  they  would 
not  ask,  thinking  themselves  unworthy  of  such  a  favour 
But  he  said,  "  Fear  not,  I  will  pray."  Then  they  all  knelt 
down,  and  Apollo  asked,  and  they  said  Amen.  Now  as  this 
response  came,  behold  there  arrived  men  and  asses  bringing 
a  present  to  the  monks,  and  it  consisted  of  fresh  loaves, 
pomegranates,  citrons,  honey  in  the  comb,  nuts,  and  a  pitcher 
of  fresh  milk,  grapes  and  figs,  and  large  luscious  dates 
(nicolai). 


374  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January**. 

The  monks  of  Apollo  communicated  every  day,  and  some 
ate  nothing  from  communion  to  communion,  living  only  on 
this  heavenly  food.  These  were  some  of  the  pieces  of 
advice  Apollo  gave  to  his  monks  : — "  It  behoves  us  to  be 
ever  joyous,  for  we  ought  not  to  be  sad  about  our  salvation. 
The  Gentiles  are  sad,  the  Jews  weep,  and  sinners  mourn, 
all  those  whose  affections  are  fixed  on  earthly  things  have 
cause  to  be  agitated  in  mind,  but  not  we."  And  it  was  so, 
that  the  monks  were  always  cheerful  and  gay,  and  if  any  ap- 
peared sad,  the  abbot  knew  the  cause  must  be  sin,  and  he 
sent  for  him.  "  Let  the  monks  communicate  every  day,  for 
those  who  withdraw  from  the  Sacraments,  from  them  God 
withdraws  Himself.  But  he  who  approaches  them  assidu- 
ously receives  the  Saviour.  That  is  a  salutary  saying,  '  He 
that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  dwelleth  in  Me, 
and  I  in  him.'  Daily,  therefore,  let  the  monks  prepare  them- 
selves, and  daily  let  them  receive  it."  "  Let  asceticism,"  he 
added,  "  be  secret.  I  do  not  like  those  who  put  chains  on 
their  necks, — they  do  it  to  be  seen  of  men  ;  let  them  rather 
fast  in  their  cells,  where  no  one  will  know  anything  about  it." 


S.  MARES,  AB.  IN  SYRIA. 

(5TH    CENT.) 
[From  the  Philotheus  of  Theodoret,  cap.  20.] 

S.  Mares  spent  thirty-seven  years  in  a  small  damp  cell, 
constant  in  prayer.  Theodoret  says  that  towards  his  end, 
"  I  went  to  his  door,  and  he  bade  me  open.  He  was  aged 
ninety,  and  wore  common  goat's  hair  garments.  All  his  food 
was  bread  and  salt.  As,  for  long,  he  had  desired  to  see 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  offered,  but  was  not  able,  he  asked  that 
the  oblation  of  the  Divine  Gift  might  be  made  there.     I 


* * 

January^.]  ,5".     PoppO.  375 

willingly  obeyed,  and  having  ordered  the  sacred  vessels  to  be 
brought  from  the  village,  and  using  for  an  altar  the  hands  of 
the  deacons,  I  offered  the  mystic,  divine,  and  salutary  Sacri- 
fice. But  he  was  filled  with  all  spiritual  delight,  and  thought 
that  he  saw  heaven,  and  declared  he  had  never  had  such  joy. 
I  was  greatly  pleased  with  him,  and  I  should  be  doing  him 
and  myself  a  wrong,  if  after  his  death  I  did  not  praise  him." 


S.  PILEJECTUS,  B.,  AND  OTHERS,  MM., 
AT  CLERMONT. 

(a.d.  674.) 

[S.  Praejectus,  in  French  S.  Priest,  Priets,  Prie,  or  Prix,  is  commemo- 
rated in  the  Gallican,  Belgic,  Sarum,  and  other  Martyrologies.  Authority : 
his  life  by  two  contemporary  writers.] 

S.  Prjejectus,  Bishop  of  Clermont  in  Auvergne,  severely 
rebuked  one  Hector,  a  noble  of  Marseilles,  for  having 
ravished  a  young  lady  of  Auvergne,  and  seized  on  her 
estates.  His  remonstrances  having  been  disregarded,  he 
hastened  to  King  Childeric  II.  to  lay  his  complaint  before 
him,  and  the  king  gave  orders  for  the  execution  of  Hector. 
On  the  return  of  the  Saint  to  his  see,  some  friends  of 
Hector  waylaid  him  at  a  place  called  Volvic,  near  Clermont, 
and  murdered  him. 


S.  POPPO,  AB.  OF  STAVELOT. 
(a.d.  1048.) 

[Modern  Roman  Martyrology.  The  name  occurs  in  no  ancient  Martyr- 
ologies ;  it  owes  its  insertion  to  Baronius.  His  life  was  written  by  Ever- 
helm,  abbot  of  Hautmont,  his  contemporary,  in  1069.] 

The  blessed  Poppo,  born  in  Flanders  in  978,  as  a  youth 
served  in  arms.     He  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land, 

* * 


9 .,£, 

37^  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January^. 

and,  on  his  return,  engaged  himself  to  the  daughter  of  his 
friend  Frumhold.  When  the  time  of  his  marriage  drew  nigh, 
Poppo  mounted  his  horse  one  night,  together  with  some 
retainers,  to  ride  to  fetch  his  bride.  He  had  not  gone  far 
before  a  dazzling  flash  of  light  illumined  him  within,  in  his 
soul,  and  bathed  his  body  in  a  blaze  of  glory.  As  it  faded 
away,  he  spurred  on  his  horse,  and  then  noticed  that  a 
flame  burnt  on  the  point  of  his  spear ;  it  was  as  though  he 
rode  bearing  a  tall  church  taper  in  his  hand.  Astounded  at 
this  marvel,  he  reined  in  his  steed,  and  turning  to  his  com- 
panions said,  "God  calls  me  to  another  life." 

Then  he  left  home  and  went,  with  the  light  still  illumina- 
ting his  soul,  and  served  in  a  hospital  for  the  sick.  One  day 
a  miserable  leper  was  brought  in  so  covered  with  sores  that 
he  could  not  be  placed  with  the  other  inmates.  Thinking 
that  the  poor  creature  was  cold  in  the  night,  Poppo  went  to 
him  with  his  own  coverlid,  and  laid  it  over  him.  Next 
morning  the  leper  was  whole,  the  charity  of  Poppo  had 
healed  him.  Richard,  abbot  of  Verdun,  appointed  Poppo 
to  rule  the  abbey  of  S.  Vedast,  which  had  fallen  into  scan- 
dalous disorder.  When  the  Emperor  Henry  II.  was  in  the 
Betawe,  between  the  two  branches  of  the  Rhine,  Poppo, 
having  to  visit  him  about  some  affairs  concerning  his  mon- 
astery, found  the  prince  enjoying  a  favourite  pastime  of  his ; 
a  naked  man  was  smeared  with  honey  and  exposed  to  bears  ; 
and  the  sport  consisted  in  the  bears  trying  to  lick  the  man, 
and  he  eluding  their  embraces.  As  this  sport  not  unfrequently 
ended  in  the  man  being  injured,  and  sometimes  killed,  Poppo 
rebuked  the  king,  and  brought  him  to  a  sense  of  the  im- 
propriety of  encouraging  such  coarse  and  dangerous  amuse- 
ments. That  this  sport  was  popular,  appears  from  Hincmar, 
Archbishop  of  Rheims,  being  obliged  to  forbid  his  clergy 
and  monks  attending  either  it  or  bear-bating. 

On  another  occasion,  when  Poppo  was  on  his  way  to  the 

* . _ -% 


*- 


-* 


January  »J.] 


S.  Poppo. 


377 


Emperor,  then  at  Strasburg,  as  he  passed  through  the  Ellis- 
gau,  with  some  of  his  monks,  they  saw  a  wolf  carry  off  a 
man  by  the  neck  into  a  marsh.  Poppo  at  once  called  his 
monks  to  the  rescue.  They  were  unable,  on  account  of  the 
loose  texture  of  the  swamp,  to  go  direct  to  where  the  .man 
lay,  but  they  surrounded  the  marsh,  and  following  the  bloody 
traces,  recovered  the  man,  who  was  much  mangled;  they 
bound  up  his  wounds,  and  he  finally  recovered.  What  be- 
came of  the  wolf  they  saw  not,  and  hoped,  and  hoping 
believed,  he  was  smothered  in  the  marsh. 

Poppo  was  afterwards  created  abbot  of  Stavelot,  where 
the  monks  had  fallen  into  grave  disorders.  His  efforts  to 
reform  them  so  irritated  some  of  the  worst,  that  they  at- 
tempted to  poison  him,  but  failed.  Having  thoroughly 
reformed  the  monastery,  he  rebuilt  and  beautified  the  church, 
and  died  on  the  feast  of  the  Conversion  of  S.  Paul,  after 
having  received  extreme  unction  from  the  hands  of  the 
abbot  Everhelm,  who  is  his  biographer. 


Alpha  and  Ornega ;    the  First   and  the  Last 


*- 


"* 


3  78  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  *. 


January  26. 

S.  Polycarp,  B.  M.  of  Smyrna,  a.d.  167. 

S.  Simeon  the  Olp,  Ab.  in  Syria,  end  of  t,th  cent, 

S.  Paula,  IV.,  at  Bethlthtm,  a.d.  404. 

S.  Xenophon,  his  Wife  and  Sons,  &th  cent. 

S.  Bathild,  Q.,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  670. 

S.  Theoritgitha,  f.,  at  Barking,  in  Essex,  jth  cent. 

S.  Gobert,  C,  at  Foss,  in  Belgium. 

S.  Alberic,  Ab.  of  Citeaux,  beginning  of  nth  cent. 

B.  Haseka,  R.,  in  Westphalia,  a.d.  ij6i. 

S.  POLYCARP,  B.  M.  OF  SMYRNA. 
(a.d.  167.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.     Authorities  :  His  Acts,  written  by  the  Church  oi 
Smyrna  immediately  after  his  martyrdom,  Eusebius,  &c] 

[AINT  POLYCARP  was  converted  to  Christianity 
in  the  year  80,  when  quite  young,  and  he  had  the 
privilege  of  accompanying  those  who  had  seen 
Jesus  Christ.  S.  John,  whose  special  disciple 
he  was,  consecrated  him  Bishop  of  Smyrna  in  the  year  96. 
He  is  supposed  to  be  the  Angel  or  Bishop  of  the  Church  of 
Smyrna,  to  whom  alone,  in  the  messages  recorded  in  the 
Apocalypse,  did  Jesus  Christ  address  praise  unmixed  with 
blame.1  "  I  know  thy  works,  and  tribulation,  and  poverty, 
(but  thou  art  rich),  and  I  know  the  blasphemy  of  them 
which  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  are  the  synagogue 
of  Satan.  Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt 
suffer ;  behold,  the  devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison, 
that  ye  may  be  tried ;  and  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ten 
days ;  be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a 
crown  of  life." 

In  the  year  158,  S.  Polycarp  visited  Rome.     The  cause 

1  Rev.  11.  9. 

* -* 


*— — * 

January  36.]  S.     PolyCCLVp.  $79 

of  his  visit  is  not  exactly  declared ;  but  he  had  a  conference 
with  Pope  Anicetus  concerning  the  time  of  celebrating  the 
Paschal  Feast ;  and  the  disputes  upon  this  subject  were 
carried  on  so  warmly,  in  the  second  century,  that  perhaps 
we  are  to  seek  no  other  reason  for  Polycarp  undertaking  so 
long  a  journey.     The  first  day  of  the  week,  or  Sunday, 
appears  to  have  been  held  sacred,  on  account  of  our  Lord's 
Resurrection,  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  Church.     The 
eastern  and  western  Christians  agreed  in  keeping  a  solemn 
fast  for  some  time  preceding  the  feast  of  the  Resurrection. 
There  was,   however,    one   important  difference    between 
them.     The   Asiatic   Christians   kept  a  feast  on  the  true 
Passover,    as  well  as  observing  the   great   Easter  festival. 
The  western  Christians  kept  the  Paschal  feast  on  Easter 
Day.     By  separating  the  Passover  feast  from  the  feast  of 
the   Resurrection,    the    Easterns   had   a  burst  of  festivity 
interrupting  discordantly  the  hush  of  the  great  fast,  which 
caused  great  offence  to  the  western  sense  of  propriety.   Both 
parties  laid  claims  to  apostolic  authority  for  their  respective 
customs.     The  eastern   Christians  asserted  that  SS.  John 
and  Philip  had  sanctioned  their  custom  ;  while  the  brethren 
at  Rome  defended  themselves  by  the  authority  of  SS.  Peter 
and  Paul.     This  being  the  case,  and  neither  of  the  parties 
being  willing  to  concede,  a  conference  between  an  Asiatic 
Bishop  and  the  Bishop  of  Rome  seemed  a  very  desirable 
measure.     Polycarp  had  been  personally  known  to  S.  John, 
and  had  been  appointed  by  him  to  his  bishopric.     Anicetus 
was,  singularly  enough,  the  seventh  Bishop  of  Rome  since 
the  beginning  of  the  century,  but  Polycarp  had  occupied 
the   see   of  Smyrna   during   the  whole   of  that   time.     S. 
Irenaeus,  who  relates  the  conference  between  Anicetus  and 
Polycarp,    states   that   neither   could    convince   the  other. 
The  meeting  was,  however,  conducted  and  terminated  in 
perfect  amity.     The  two  bishops  were  firm,  and  wedded  to 

^ _ %< 


* — — * 

380  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January 26. 

their  respective  customs  ;  but  the  bond  of  peace  was  not 
broken  between  them ;  and  as  proof  of  their  mutual  good- will, 
they  received  together  the  supersubstantial  food,  the  Pope 
allowing  Polycarp,  out  of  respect  for  his  age  and  character, 
to  celebrate. 

In  the  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  an  ex- 
hibition of  games  in  Smyrna  kept  the  city  in  excitement  for 
some  days,  and  the  Christians  were  made  to  fight  with  wild 
beasts  for  the  amusement  of  the  populace.  Polycarp  him- 
self was  advised  to  withdraw  from  the  storm,  and  he  con- 
cealed himself  for  some  time  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
city.  His  retreat  was  betrayed  by  a  boy,  who  was  threatened 
with  the  rack  unless  he  discovered  him.  Herod,  the  magis- 
trate, whose  office  it  was  to  prevent  misdemeanours,  sent 
horsemen  by  night  to  beset  his  lodgings.  The  Saint  was 
above  stairs  in  bed,  but  refused  to  make  his  escape,  saying, 
"God's  will  be  done."  He  went  down,  met  them  at  the 
door,  ordered  them  a  handsome  supper,  and  desired  only 
some  time  for  prayer  before  he  went  with  them.  This 
granted,  he  began  his  prayer  standing,  and  continued  it 
in  that  posture  for  two  hours,  recommending  to  God  his  own 
flock  and  the  whole  Church,  with  so  much  earnestness  and 
devotion,  that  several  of  those  that  were  come  to  seize  him, 
repented  having  undertaken  the  commission.  They  set 
him  on  an  ass,  and  were  conducting  him  towards  the  city, 
when  he  was  met  on  the  road  by  Herod  and  his  father, 
Nicetes,  who  took  him  into  their  chariot,  and  endeavoured 
to  persuade  him  to  a  little  compliance,  saying,  "  What  harm 
is  there  in  sacrificing,  to  escape  death  ?"  The  bishop  at  first 
was  silent,  in  imitation  of  our  Saviour :  but  being  pressed, 
he  gave  them  this  resolute  answer,  "  I  shall  never  do  what 
you  desire  of  me."  At  these  words,  they  thrust  him  out  of 
the  chariot  with  such  violence,  that  his  leg  was  bruised  by 
the  fall.     The  holy  man  went  forward  cheerfully  to  the  place 

* * 


*- * 

January  26.]  S.     PolyCdTp.  38  I 

where  the  people  were  assembled.  Upon  his  entering  it,  a 
voice  from  heaven  was  heard  by  many  :  "  Polycarp,  be 
courageous,  and  play  the  man."  He  was  led  directly  to  the 
tribunal  of  the  pro-consul,  who  exhorted  him  to  respect  his 
own  age,  to  swear  by  the  genius  of  the  Emperor,  and  blas- 
pheme Christ.  Polycarp  replied,  "  I  have  served  Him  these 
fourscore  and  six  years,  and  He  never  did  me  any  harm,  but 
much  good.  How  can  I  then  blaspheme  my  King  and  my 
Saviour  ?  If  you  require  of  me  to  swear  by  the  genius  of 
Caesar,  as  you  call  it,  hear  my  free  confession ;  I  am  a  Chris- 
tian :  but  if  you  desire  to  learn  the  Christian  religion,  appoint 
a  time,  and  hear  me." 

The  pro-consul  then,  assuming  a  tone  of  severity,  said,  "  I 
have  wild  beasts."  "  Call  for  them,"  replied  the  Saint :  "  for 
we  are  unalterably  resolved  not  to  change  from  good  to  evil. 
It  is  only  good  to  pass  from  evil  to  good."  The  pro-consul 
said,  "  If  you  despise  the  beasts,  I  will  cause  you  to  be  burnt 
to  ashes."  Polycarp  answered,  "You  threaten  me  with  a 
fire  which  burns  for  a  short  time,  and  then  goes  out ;  but  are, 
yourself,  ignorant  of  the  judgment  to  come,  and  of  the  fire 
prepared  for  the  wicked.  Why  do  you  delay  ?  Bring  against 
me  what  you  please."  Whilst  he  said  this  his  countenance 
shone  with  a  certain  heavenly  grace,  insomuch  that  the  pro- 
consul was  struck  with  admiration.  However,  he  ordered  a 
crier  to  make  public  proclamation  three  times,  "Polycarp 
has  confessed  himself  a  Christian."  At  this  proclamation 
the  whole  multitude  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  gave  a  great  shout. 
They  unanimously  demanded  that  he  should  be  burnt  alive. 
Their  request  was  no  sooner  granted  than  every  one  ran, 
with  all  speed,  to  fetch  wood  from  the  baths  and  shops.  The 
Jews  were  particularly  active  and  busy  on  this  occasion.  The 
pile  being  prepared,  Polycarp  put  off  his  garments,  untied 
his  girdle,  and  began  to  take  off  his  shoes.  The  wood  and 
other  combustibles  were  heaped  around  him.     The  execu- 

* % 


*— . ft 

382  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  »6. 

tioners  would  have  attached  him  to  the  stake ;  but  he  said 
to  them,  "  Suffer  me  to  be  as  I  am.  He  who  gives  me  grace 
to  endure  this  fire,  will  enable  me  to  stand  still  without  that 
precaution."  They,  therefore,  contented  themselves  with 
tying  his  hands  behind  his  back,  and  in  this  posture,  looking 
up  towards  heaven,  he  prayed  as  follows  :  "  O  Almighty 
Lord  God,  Father  of  Thy  beloved  and  blessed  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  we  have  received  the  knowledge  of  Thee, 
God  of  angels,  powers,  and  every  creature,  and  of  all  the 
race  of  the  just  that  live  in  Thy  presence  !  I  bless  Thee 
for  having  been  pleased  in  Thy  goodness  to  bring  me  to  this 
hour,  that  I  may  receive  a  portion  in  the  number  of  Thy 
martyrs,  and  partake  of  the  chalice  of  Thy  Christ,  for  the 
resurrection  to  eternal  life,  in  the  incorruplibleness  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Grant  me  to  be  received  this  day  as  a 
pleasing  sacrifice,  such  an  one  as  thou  Thyself  hast  pre- 
pared, that  so  Thou  mayest  accomplish  what  Thou,  O  tnze 
and  faithful  God  !  hast  foreshown.  Wherefore,  for  all  things 
I  praise,  bless,  and  glorify  Thee,  through  the  eternal  high 
priest  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  beloved  Son,  with  whom,  to  Thee, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  glory  now  and  for  ever.  Amen." 
He  had  scarce  said  Amen,  when  fire  was  set  to  the  pile, 
and  increased  to  a  mighty  flame.  "But  behold  a  wonder 
seen  by  us,"  say  the  authors  of  these  Acts.  "The  flames  form- 
ing themselves  into  an  arch,  like  the  sails  of  a  ship  swelled 
with  the  wind,  gently  encircled  the  body  of  the  martyr ; 
which  stood  in  the  middle,  like  purified  gold  or  silver,  ap- 
pearing bright  through  the  flames ;  and  his  body  sending 
forth  such  a  fragrance,  that  we  seemed  to  smell  precious 
spices."  The  heathen  were  exasperated  to  see  that  his  body 
could  not  be  consumed,  and  ordered  a  spearman  to  pierce 
him  through,  which  he  did,  and  such  a  quantity  of  blood 
issued  out  of  his  left  side  as  to  quench  the  fire.  The  malice 
of  the  devil  ended  not  here  :  he  endeavoured  to  obstruct  the 

*- —  * 


* — * 

January  a«.]  5*.   StmeOU.  383 

relics  of  the  martyr  being  carried  off  by  the  Christians ;  for 
many  desired  to  do  it,  to  show  their  respect  to  his  body. 
Therefore,  by  the  suggestion  of  Satan,  Nicetes  advised  the 
pro-consul  not  to  bestow  it  on  the  Christians,  lest,  said  he, 
abandoning  the  crucified  man,  they  should  adore  Polycarp  : 
the  Jews  suggested  this,  "  Not  knowing,"  say  the  authors  of 
these  Acts,  "  that  we  can  never  forsake  Christ,  nor  adore  any 
other,  though  we  love  the  martyrs,  as  his  disciples  and  imita- 
tors, for  the  great  love  they  bore  their  King  and  Master." 
The  centurion  then  cast  the  body  into  the  midst  of  the  fire, 
and  burnt  it  to  ashes.  "  We  afterwards  took  up  the  bones," 
say  the  writers  of  the  Acts,  "  more  precious  than  the  richest 
jewels  or  gold,  and  deposited  them  decently  in  a  place  at 
which,  may  God  grant  us  to  assemble  with  joy,  to  celebrate 
the  birthday  of  the  martyr." 

His  tomb  is  still  shown  near  Smyrna. 


S.   SIMEON   THE   OLD,  AB. 

(END   OF   4TH   CENT.) 

[Greek  Menaea.     Authority,  Theodoret,  in  his  Philotheus,  c.  6.] 

Simeon  the  Old  dwelt  a  life  of  solitude  in  a  cave,  feeding 
on  vegetables.  One  day  some  travellers  arrived  at  his  cell, 
having  lost  their  way  and  asked  the  old  hermit  to  direct 
them  to  a  certain  fort  for  which  they  were  bound.  The 
hermit  called  two  lions  from  the  desert,  and  gave  them  to 
the    travellers   as  guides.     This   incident   was   related    to 

*  In  some  accounts  a  dove  is  said  to  have  issued  from  the  side,  but  this  is  due  to  a 
curious  blunder  of  a  transcriber,  and  does  not  exist  in  the  oldest  copies.  The  words 
ep  aristera  on  the  left  side,  have  been  written  by  carelessness  peristera  a  dove.  Euse- 
bius,  Rufinus,  Nicephorus,  and  the  Greek  Mensea  say  nothing  of  a  dove. 


*- 


384  Lives  of  the  Saints.  January  26. 


Theodoret  by  one  who  was  present  on  the  occasion.  When 
a  large  number  of  disciples  assembled  under  his  direction, 
the  aged  Simeon  went  away  to  mount  Amanus,  near 
Antioch,  and  there  built  a  monastery.  But  afterwards, 
being  desirous  of  ending  his  days  on  Sinai,  he  went  into  the 
desert  of  that  mountain.  And  there  he  saw  one  day  two 
hands  raised  from  the  mouth  of  a  cave.  Thinking  it  might  be 
a  snare  of  the  devil,  he  approached  with  caution.  At  the 
sound  of  his  footsteps  the  supplicating  hands  were  drawn  in, 
and  he  saw  no  man;  then  he  cried  to  the  dweller  of  the 
cave  to  come  forth,  and  there  issued  out  of  it  an  old  hermit 
dressed  in  palm  leaves,  who  said  that  he  and  a  brother 
hermit  had  come  to  establish  themselves  on  Sinai,  and  they 
had  promised  each  other  never  to  separate.  Now  before 
they  reached  the  holy  mount  the  brother  hermit  died;  so 
the  survivor  buried  his  corpse,  and,  faithful  to  his  promise, 
tarried  by  his  grave  till  the  Lord  should  call  him;  and 
every  day  a  lion  brought  him  a  bunch  of  dates.  Now  when 
Simeon  had  partaken  of  his  dates,  and  they  had  sung 
together  the  matin  office,  he  went  on,  and  reaching  Sinai 
with  his  monks,  established  on  the  mountain  two  mon- 
asteries, one  at  the  summit,  and  the  other  at  the  foot 


S.  PAULA,  W.,  AT  BETHLEHEM. 
(a.d.  404.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  S.  Paula  died  on  Jan.  26th,  aft<  r  sunset,  conse- 
quently some  commemorate  her  on  Jan.  27th.  Authority  :  her  life  written 
by  S.  Jerome,  her  director,  in  a  letter  to  her  daughter  Eustochium.j 

The  blessed  Paula  was  born  at  Rome  in  the  year  347. 
Her  father  was  Rogatus,  of  noble  Grecian  origin.  Her 
mother,  Blesilla,  reckoned  the  Gracchi,  the  Scipios  and 
Paulus    ^milius    among    her    ancestors.     This    illustrious 


* 


* — — * 

|anuarya6.]  S.     Pallid.  385 

birth  was  made  more  honourable  by  her  union  with 
Toxotius,  of  the  Julian  race,  and  very  wealthy.  Her  virtues 
endeared  her  to  the  people  of  Rome,  and  her  modesty, 
gravity,'  and  prudence  caused  her  to  be  generally  respected. 
Her  husband  died  when  she  was  aged  twenty-three,  and 
grief  for  his  loss  nearly  brought  her  to  the  grave  as  well. 
Toxotius  left  behind  him  four  daughters,  Blesilla,  Paulina, 
Eustochium,  Julia,  and  Ruffina;  the  youngest  child  was  a 
boy,  and  he  bore  the  name  of  his  father. 

The  heart-broken  widow  at  length  found  repose  in  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  God.  Filled  with  a  sense  of  the 
vanity  of  all  earthly  things,  she  strove  to  detach  her 
affections  daily  from  all  save  God.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  she  would  not  sit  down  to  table  with  any  man,  not 
even  with  the  bishops,  whose  advice  she  sought,  and  who 
were  most  hospitably  entertained  in  her  house.  By  degrees 
she  accustomed  herself  to  plain  food,  and  inexpensive 
clothing.  Instead  of  a  downy  couch,  she  made  her  bed  on 
the  hard  floor.  "  Hitherto  all  my  care  has  been  how  I 
might  please  my  husband,"  said  she,  "now  I  will  care  for 
naught  save  how  I  may  best  serve  Jesus  Christ." 

She  was  now  called  on  to  bewail  the  death  of  her  eldest 
daughter  Blesilla,  who  died  shortly  after  her  husband,  to 
whom  she  had  been  married  only  for  a  short  time.  S.  Jerome 
wrote  on  this  occasion  to  S.  Paula  from  Bethlehem.  After 
having  tenderly  recalled  the  pale  and  gentle  face,  bowed  with 
exhaustion  after  fever  on  the  slender  neck,  the  angelic  form, 
of  the  departed  daughter,  S.  Jerome  adds ;  "  But  what 
am  I  doing  ?  I  would  dry  the  tears  of  a  mother  and  mingle 
mine  with  hers.  I  do  not  conceal  my  emotion.  I  write 
weeping.  But  Jesus  wept  over  Lazarus,  because  He  loved 
him.  It  is  difficult  to  console  another  when  one  is  also 
overwhelmed  with  grief,  and  when  the  broken  heart  can  find 
no  words.  O  Paula,  I  take  Jesus  Christ  to  witness,  whose 
vol.  t.  25 
►p * 


* _ — _ % 

386  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January^. 

Majesty  Blesilla  now  sees ;  I  take  the  holy  angels  to  witness, 
whose  companion  she  now  is ;  that  I  suffer  the  same 
anguish  of  heart  as  you,  for  I,  having  been  her  spiritual 
father,  had  learned  to  love  her  dearly." 

Paula  saw  also  her  second  daughter  Paulina  die,  who 
had  been  married  to  Tammachius,  a  man  of  noble  consular 
birth,  as  illustrious  for  his  piety  as  for  his  descent,  "  the  first 
of  monks  in  the  first  of  cities,"  S.  Jerome  called  him  in  after 
years,  when  he  had  embraced  the  monastic  life  in  Rome. 
She  also  survived  her  fourth  daughter  Ruffina,  married  to 
the  patrician  Aletheus,  but  this  affliction  fell  upon  her  when 
she  was  no  longer  in  Rome. 

Her  daughters  had  grown  up,  and  her  son  Toxotius, 
having  been  secured  a  careful  bringing  up,  by  his  sister 
Ruffina,  S.  Paula  felt  that  she  might  now  follow  at  liberty 
the  bent  of  her  desire.  The  stirring  life  in  Rome  gave  her 
no  rest.  Her  noble  birth  and  great  wealth  made  her  in 
great  request,  and  the  time,  which  she  desired  to  devote  to 
God  alone,  was  broken  up  by  the  petty  business  and 
formalities  of  social  life,  which  could  not  be  dispensed  with 
in  the  great  city.  She  therefore  resolved  to  abandon  Rome, 
her  palace,  her  crowds  of  servants,  her  numerous  acquaint- 
ances, many  friends,  and  dear  children. 

She  desired  to  visit  the  holy  scenes  consecrated  by  Christ, 
and  then  to  settle  quietly  down  near  her  old  confessor  and 
director  Jerome,  then  inhabiting  a  cell  at  Bethlehem.  It 
was  no  light  matter  parting  with  her  relations  and  children, 
but  she  had  this  consolation,  Eustochium,  her  unmarried 
daughter,  accompanied  her,  one  in  heart  with  her  mother, 
desirous  of  consecrating  her  virginity,  as  Paula  desired  to 
dedicate  her  widowhood,  to  Jesus  Christ. 

When  they  left  Rome,  the  kinsmen  accompanied  them  to 
the  port.  It  was  a  heart-breaking  scene.  Paula  took  her 
place  on  the  deck  of  the  vessel  that  was  to  bear  her  away 

* ■* 


X _ (J, 

January  a6.]  S.    Pallid.  387 

for  ever.  The  anchor  was  drawn  up,  the  moorings  cast 
loose,  and  the  rowers  bowed  to  their  task.  Then  the  grief 
of  Toxotius  became  incontrollable ;  he  stretched  forth  his 
arms  to  her,  sobbing,  "  Mother,  mother  !  do  not  leave  me." 
The  grief  of  the  others  was  silent,  manifesting  itself  in  copious 
tears.  But  Paula,  raising  her  dry  eyes  to  heaven,  turned  her 
face  from  the  shore,  and  conquered  by  a  superhuman  effort 
the  agony  caused  by  the  rending  of  so  many  dear  ties.  On 
reaching  Jerusalem  she  found  that  a  palace  had  been  fur- 
nished for  her  reception  by  the  governor,  with  every  comfort 
and  even  luxury.  She,  however,  chose  the  meanest  chamber 
therein,  in  which  to  lodge,  and  spent  her  time  in  visiting  the 
holy  sites.  She  prayed  long  and  earnestly  before  the  true 
Cross,  kissed  the  stones  on  which  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain, 
and  watered  with  her  tears  the  dust  of  the  Dolorous  Way 
along  which  He  had  borne  His  Cross. 

She  then  journeyed  to  Bethlehem,  and  adored  Christ  in 
the  cave  of  the  Nativity.  Overwhelmed  with  awe  she  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh,  how  dare  I,  a  poor  sinner,  kiss  the  crib  where 
the  Lord  wailed  as  a  little  babe  ?  How  dare  I  offer  my 
prayer,  where  the  Virgin  brought  the  Word  into  the  world  in 
the  substance  of  our  flesh  !  Let  the  home  of  my  Redeemer 
be  henceforth  my  resting  place,  here  will  I  dwell  where  He 
walked  the  earth  as  man." 

Having  settled  at  Bethlehem  into  a  poor  little  house,  she 
engaged  workpeople  to  erect  on  the  road  to  Jerusalem  a 
spacious  hospital  for  pilgrims  and  sick  persons,  and  also  a 
monastery  for  S.  Jerome  and  his  monks.  She  then  erected 
three  convents  for  women,  with  one  church  in  which  all  the 
inmates  of  the  three  houses  assembled  for  the  divine  office. 
There  they  met  to  sing  prime,  tierce,  sext,  nones,  vespers, 
compline,  and  the  midnight  lauds ;  thus  they  daily  sang  the 
whole  psalter,  which  every  sister  was  required  to  learn  by 
heart.     On  Sundays  they  went  to  the  neighbouring  church 


* — * 

388  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [Januarys. 

where  the  Divine  Sacrifice  was  offered,  and  where  they  com- 
municated. 

All  the  sisters  worked  with  their  hands,  and  made  clothes 
for  themselves  and  for  the  poor.  No  man  was  ever  suffered 
to  set  foot  within  their  doors.  Paula  governed  them  with 
great  charity  and  discretion,  animating  them  by  her  own 
example.  Neither  she  nor  her  daughter,  Eustochium,  refused 
to  perform  the  most  menial  offices  in  the  sisterhood.  If  any 
of  the  sisters  proved  talkative  she  was  separated  from  the 
rest,  and  made  to  walk  last  and  to  eat  alone. 

She  was  gladdened  to  hear  in  her  retreat  of  the  marriage 
of  her  son  Toxotius  to  a  pious  maiden,  named  Lceta,  to 
whom  S.  Jerome  addressed  the  first  treatise  on  the  education 
of  women  which  the  Christian  spirit  had  inspired,  and  which 
prepared  for  cloistral  life  the  young  Paula,  her  daughter,  de- 
voted to  the  Lord  from  the  cradle,  and  a  nun,  like  her  grand- 
mother and  her  aunt.  He  offered  with  the  candour  of  genius, 
to  educate  the  child  himself,  and  "  old  as  I  am,"  said  he,  "  I 
shall  accustom  myself  to  infantine  lispings,  more  honoured 
in  this  than  was  Aristotle,  for  I  shall  instruct  not  a  king  of 
Macedon,  destined  to  perish  by  poison  of  Babylon,  but  a 
servant  and  spouse  of  Christ,  to  be  presented  to  Him  in  the 
heavens." 

But  Toxotius  and  his  wife  seem  to  have  thought  that  an 
aged  monk,  immersed  in  study,  would  not  prove  so  suitable 
for  the  nurture  of  the  little  maiden  as  a  woman,  and  they 
therefore  sent  her  to  S.  Paula,  her  grandmother.  S.  Paula 
lived  to  the  age  of  fifty-six  years  and  eight  months,  of  which 
she  had  spent  in  her  widowhood  five  at  Rome,  and  almost 
twenty  at  Bethlehem.  In  her  last  illness  she  repeated  almost 
incessantly  the  verses  of  the  psalms,  which  express  the  ardour 
of  the  soul  to  see  Jerusalem  which  is  above,  and  there  to  be 
united  to  her  God.  When  she  was  no  longer  able  to  speak, 
she  formed  the  sign  of  the  Cross  on  her  lips,  and  expired  in 

4* * 


January  36.]  &     XetlOpJlOn.  389 

perfect  peace,  on  Jan.  26th,  a.d.  404.  Her  body,  bome  by 
bishops,  attended  by  acolytes  holding  lighted  tapers,  was 
buried  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  in  the  church  of  the 
Holy  Manger  at  Bethlehem. 


S.  XENOPHON,  HIS  WIFE,  AND  SONS. 

(5TH    CENT.) 

[Commemorated  by  the  Greeks  on  this  day,  and  introduced  into  the 
Roman  Martyrology  by  Clement  the  VIII.  Authority:  a.  life  in  Simeon 
Metaphrastes  of  uncertain  date.  J 

In  the  Court  of  Constantine  the  Great  at  Byzantinum  was 
a  senator  named  Xenophon,  a  devout  Christian,  whose  wife's 
name  was  Mary.  They  had  two  sons  whom  they  loved  as 
the  apples  of  their  eyes,  John  and  Arcadius.  These  sons 
were  destined  for  the  law,  and  after  they  had  finished  their 
education  in  Greek  at  home,  Xenophon  sent  them  in  a  ship 
destined  for  Berytus,  to  be  there  instructed  in  law,  that  being 
then  a  great  legal  school.  At  the  time  of  their  departure, 
Xenophon  was  sick  nigh  unto  death,  and  he  bade  them  fare- 
well from  his  bed.  The  young  men  had  not  been  many  days 
at  sea  before  a  violent  tempest  burst  upon  them,  and  the 
vessel  was  speedily  reduced  to  a  wreck.  The  brothers  cast 
their  arms  round  each  other's  necks  and  kissing,  bade  one 
another  farewell.  Then  the  wreck  broke  up  on  a  reef,  and 
in  the  havoc  of  the  waves  rending  the  fragile  ship,  they  lost 
sight  of  one  another.  However,  it  fell  out  that  both  reached 
the  land  on  broken  pieces  of  the  vessel,  but  they  were  cast 
up  so  far  apart  that  each  supposed  that  he  alone  was  saved. 
John  came  ashore  not  far  from  a  monastery,  into  which  he 
was  hospitably  received,  and  where  he  was  well  cared  for  till 
he  had  recovered  the  exhaustion  consequent  on  battling  with 
the  waves  for  life.     In  the  monastery  John  found  a  calm  and 

* ■ — * 


* — * 

390  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »6. 

cheerfulness  such  as  he  had  not  experienced  in  the  world ;  it 
seemed  to  him  a  peaceful  refuge  for  the  storm-tossed  soul  as 
well  as  for  the  shipwrecked  body,  and  he  resolved  to  remain 
there  as  a  monk. 

Arcadius  had  also  come  ashore ;  he  made  his  way  to  Jeru- 
salem, in  great  trouble  of  mind,  having  lost  in  the  vessel  all 
the  money  his  father  had  given  him  wherewith  to  prosecute 
his  studies,  and  above  all,  his  brother.  Now  alone  and  poor, 
he  knew  not  whither  to  go,  and  what  to  do.  Then  one  day 
he  came  to  a  monastery  governed  by  an  aged  abbot,  who 
comforted  him,  and  urged  him  to  despise  the  world,  and 
seek  rest  in  God.  Arcadius  remembered  how,  as  a  little 
boy,  he  had  heard  his  father  descant  on  the  peace  of  the 
cloister  and  the  happiness  of  monastic  life.  He  therefore 
gladly  assumed  the  habit,  and  bent  his  head  for  the  tonsure. 

Now  at  Byzantium,  Xenophon  had  recovered  of  his 
malady,  and  he  and  his  wife  often  communed  together  of 
their  absent  sons.  Not  hearing  any  news  of  them,  he  sent 
a  servant  to  Berytus  to  make  enquiries.  The  servant  re- 
turned one  day  when  Xenophon  was  at  court,  so  that  the 
mother,  Mary,  was  the  first  to  hear  of  the  loss  of  the  vessel. 
The  servant  said  that  it  was  feared  at  Berytus  that  all  on 
board  had  perished.  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  said  she. 

Evening  came,  and  with  it  returned  her  husband  from  the 
court,  with  a  crowd  of  servants  and  torch-bearers.  He  found 
supper  spread,  and  his  wife  awaiting  him.  He  sat  down, 
but  noticing  that  she  was  grieved  in  spirit,  and  that  her  eyes 
were  full  of  tears,  he  asked  the  reason.  She  changed  the 
subject,  and  after  a  while,  so  as  gently  to  break  the  news  to 
him,  she  said  that  the  servant  was  on  his  way  home.  Xeno- 
phon started  from  the  table  in  agitation,  and  asked  where  he 
was.  "  How  do  you  know  that  he  is  here  ?  he  may  have 
been  delayed   through  sickness  on  the  way,"  said  Mary, 

* — * 


* * 

January  26.]  ,£     XeUOpkon.  39 1 

restraining  her  grief  with  an  effort  "  But  the  letters,  where 
are  the  letters  ?"  asked  her  husband,  white  with  emotion. 
"  Surely  you  can  delay  reading  them  till  to-morrow,"  said  the 
wife ;  "  eat  your  supper  now,  at  least,  with  a  glad  mind." 
Then  her  tears  streamed  down  her  cheeks.  Xenophon 
looked  steadily  at  her,  and  asked  in  a  low  voice,  "Is  it  well 
with  the  boys  ?"  Then  she  told  him  all.  And  Xenophon 
said,  "  The  Lord's  name  be  praised  who  has  given  me  such 
a  prudent  and  self-constrained  wife,"  and  instead  of  giving 
way,  went  to  Mary  and  kissed  her  and  comforted  her, 
for  now  that  the  need  for  control  was  removed,  all  her 
mother's  heart  gave  way  in  a  passion  of  tears  and  sobs. 

Xenophon  and  his  wife  had  no  rest.  Were  their  children 
dead  or  alive  ?  That  they  must  know ;  so  they  resolved  to 
go  together  to  Palestine  to  find  them  alive  or  dead.  On 
arriving  at  Jerusalem  they  visited  the  holy  places,  and  prayed 
everywhere  that  if  it  were  the  Lord's  will,  they  might  see 
again  once  more  the  faces  of  their  sons.  One  day  in  the 
street  they  saw  a  servant  they  had  given  to  the  youths  now 
wearing  the  monastic  habit ;  Xenophon  fell  down  reverently 
before  him,  and  when  the  man,  full  of  shame,  implored  him 
not  to  do  so,  "  It  is  not  you  I  reverence,  but  your  habit,"  said 
the  nobleman.  Then  the  man  told  him  how  the  ship  had  been 
wrecked,  and  how  nearly  all  had  perished,  but  he,  escaping 
to  land,  had  taken  the  monastic  profession  upon  him. 

Three  years  had  passed  since  John  and  Arcadius  had 
sailed  from  Byzantium,  and  the  parents  began  to  despair  of 
hearing  any  tidings  of  them,  when  one  day  they  visited  the 
monastery  of  the  abbot  who  had  received  Arcadius.  The 
old  man  having  heard  their  story,  knew  at  once  that  one  of 
their  sons  was  with  him,  and  from  what  he  had  learned,  he 
conjectured  that  the  other  was  alive  in  another  house.  He 
therefore  bade  them  be  of  good  cheer,  assuring  them  that 
their  sons  lived,  and  he  bade  them  meet  him  on  a  certain 

* —  * 


* _ % 

39 2  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

day  upon  Mount  Calvary,  by  which  time  he  would  be  sup- 
plied with  further  information. 

Now  it  fell  out  that  John  was  then  in  Jerusalem  visiting 
the  scenes  of  the  Passion.  The  aged  abbot  sent  for  him 
and  spake  with  him,  and  soon  learned  that  his  suspicions 
were  correct,  and  that  he  was  the  brother  of  his  monk. 
Arcadius  at  this  moment  arrived.  The  abbot  said  to  John, 
"  Brother,  what  is  thy  history,  I  pray  thee  relate  it  to  me." 
So  John  began,  "I  am  the  son  of  wealthy  parents  in 
Byzantium,  who  sent  me  with  my  brother  to  Berytus,  to 
study  law ;  I  loved  my  brother  as  my  own  soul.  He  was 
dearer  to  me  than  my  life.  On  our  voyage  a  storm  fell  on 
us,  and  the  vessel  was  wrecked,  then  my  brother  Arcadius 
and  I " — hereat  Arcadius  trembled,  and  extended  his 
hands,  and  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  abbot,  and  stammered 
forth,  "  It  is  my  brother,  my  brother  !"  And  when  John 
heard  his  voice,  he  knew  him  ;  but  they  knew  each  other  not 
before,  for  they  were  both  cowled,  and  greatly  altered  through 
fasting.  And  the  brothers  lifted  up  their  voices  and  wept,  and 
embraced  each  other  with  exceeding  joy.  Then  the  abbot 
said,  "  My  sons,  I  bid  you  be  silent  and  restrain  yourselves. 
Your  parents  come  this  way,  and  too  great  joy  falling  too 
suddenly  upon  them  may  be  more  than  they  can  bear, 
therefore  I  say  unto  you,  refrain  yourselves  awhile."  Hardly 
had  he  done  speaking,  and  the  two  monks  had  fallen 
behind,  before  Xenophon  came  up  Calvary,  leading 
Mary. 

They  were  much  aged  by  care.  They  came  on  with 
their  wistful  eyes  fixed  on  the  old  abbot;  and  scarce 
regarded  the  monks  who  followed  him,  for  their  thoughts 
were  on  what  he  had  to  tell  them.  They  cried,  "  Where  are 
our  dear  sons,  father?"  Then  the  abbot  said,  "  Rejoice,  my 
children,  rejoice  and  praise  the  Lord  !  your  sons  are  found. 
Now  go  and  prepare  a  feast,  and  I  will  come  shortly  with 

* — _)j, 


* ■ 

January  a6.]  S.     Xenopkofl.  393 

my  two  disciples  whom  you  see  here,  and  when  we  have 
eaten,  I  will  bring  your  sons  to  your  arms." 

Now  when  Xenophon  and  Mary  heard  this,  they  were 
filled  with  joy,  and  they  hasted  and  made  ready  a  feast,  and 
the  abbot  came,  he  and  his  two  disciples,  and  they  sat 
down  and  did  eat  But  all  the  while,  as  Arcadius  and  John 
heard  the  dear  voices  of  father  and  mother,  they  shook  with 
suppressed  emotion,  and  turned  their  heads  aside,  and  bowed 
them  on  their  breasts,  that  the  tears  might  trickle  unseen. 
And  as  they  ate,  the  conversation  turned  to  the  holy  lives 
of  the  ascetics  in  the  monasteries  and  lauras  of  Palestine. 
"Oh"  said  Xenophon;  "how  peaceful  and  glad  of  heart 
are  all  there;  methinks  there  the  word  of  the  prophet  is 
fulfilled,  that  the  desert  should  bloom  as  a  rose.  Right 
glad  should  I  be,  were  my  dear  boys  to  seek  such  blessed 
places  of  heavenly  consolation,  and  lying  down  in  those 
green  pastures,  there  find  rest."  "  But  if  they  were  to  do 
this,  thou  wouldst  be  deprived  of  their  society,"  said  the  abbot. 

"That  matters  not,"  said  Xenophon;  "If  I  could  but 
see  their  faces  again,  and  know  that  they  had  set  their  hearts 
on  God  alone,  I  should  be  comforted." 

"  And  now,"  said  the  abbot ;  "  let  one  of  these  monks 
speak,  and  say  why  he  has  entered  on  the  monastic  life." 
Thereupon  Arcadius  began  with  faltering  voice  :  "  I  and 
my  brother  here  present  were  born  at  Byzantium,  of  good 
Christian  parents,  and  the  name  of  the  one  was  Xenophon, 
and  the  name  of  the  other  was  Mary." 

Upon  this  the  father  and  mother  uttered  a  cry,  and  ran, 
and  they  were  locked  in  the  embrace  of  their  children. 

The  abbot  stood  by  and  saw  with  joy  their  tears  and 
kisses ;  and  after  a  while  he  said,  "  Give  glory  to  God  !"  so 
they  raised  their  hands  and  eyes  to  heaven,  and  praised 
Him  who  had  brought  them  together  again. 

But  now  that  Xenophon  and  his   wife  had  found  their 

*- * 


I* . % 

394  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 

children,  they  felt  that  there  was  nothing  more  for  which 
they  cared  on  earth,  and  they  also  went  into  solitude,  and 
served  God  in  fasting  and  prayers  night  and  day.  Thus  the 
whole  family  laboured  with  one  heart  for  one  end,  the 
salvation  of  their  souls  and  the  glory  of  God ;  and  though 
separated  in  body,  they  were  united  in  heart,  and  now  they 
dwell  together  in  the  Paradise  of  God. 


S.  BATHILD,  Q. 

(ABOUT  A.D.   670.) 

[Roman  and  other  Martyrologies.  In  some,  however,  on  Jan.  27th  ;  at 
Paris  on  Jan.  30th.  Authorities  :  her  life  by  two  contemporary  writers. 
The  first  is  in  plain  unpolished  style.  Its  date  appears  from  allusions  such 
as  this  : — "  The  venerable  Theudofred,  who  is  now  bishop,  was  then  abbot." 
"The  illustrious  offspring  of  Bathild,  now  reigning,  &c"  The  writer  of  the 
other  expressly  states  that  he  had  seen  and  known  the  virtues  of  her  whom 
he  describes.] 

Archimb  dld,  mayor  of  the  palace,  in  the  reign  of  Dago- 
bert,  King  of  France,  bought  a  slender  fair-haired  English 
slave  girl.  The  name  of  this  girl  was  Bathild,  given  her 
probably  because  of  her  work,  for  the  name  signifies  "  the 
damsel  of  the  lady's  bower."1  In  service  she  grew  up  to 
woman's  estate,  and  was  very  beautiful,  but,  withal,  adorned 
with  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit. 

She  is  thus  described  by  one  of  her  biographers  : — "  Her 
pious  and  admirable  conversation  attracted  the  admiration 
of  the  prince,  and  all  his  ministers.  For  she  was  of  a 
benignant  spirit  and  sober  manners,  prudent  and  shy,  never 
scheming  evil,  never  light  in  talk,  or  pert  in  speech  •  but  in 
all  her  actions  upright.     She  was  of  Saxon  race,  in  shape 

1  Bath-hildr  in  Norse,  meaning  the  maiden  (hildr)  of  the  Bath-stofa,  the  female 
apartment  in  a  Norse,  Saxon  or  Frankish  house.  She  is  sometimes  caJlcd  Bath- 
Udes,  sometimes  Baltidis. 

%f- • — ■& 


S.    BATH  I  LI). 


Jan.,  p.  394.] 


[Jan.  26. 


y. * 

January^.]  S.     BdthUd.  395 

graceful  and  pleasing,  with  a  bright  face  and  a  staid  gait,  and 
as  such,  she  found  favour  with  the  prince,  so  that  he  con- 
stituted her  his  cup-bearer,  and  as  such,  dealing  honestly,  she 
stood  often  by  him  ministering  to  him.  But  so  far  from 
being  lifted  up  by  her  position,  she  showed  the  utmost  hu- 
mility to  her  fellow-servants,  cheerfully  obeying  them,  minis- 
tering reverently  to  her  elders,  often  taking  their  shoes  off 
for  them,  scraping  and  cleaning  them,  and  bringing  them 
their  washing  water,  and  mending  their  clothes  also.  All  this 
she  did  without  a  murmur,  with  gentle  and  pious  alacrity." 

Now  it  fell  out  that  Archimbold  lost  his  wife,  and  he 
looked  about  for  one  to  fill  her  place.  Then  his  glance  rested 
on  the  fair-haired,  blue-eyed  Saxon  maid,  so  kindly  and  so 
obliging.  But  when  he  announced  that  it  was  his  intention 
to  make  her  his  wife,  she  was  so  alarmed  that  she  hid  her- 
self among  the  under  maids  of  the  kitchen,  dishevelled  her 
light  hair,  begrimed  her  face,  and  worked  in  rags,  so  that  the 
mayor  supposed  she  had  gone  clean  away,  and  after  a  while 
forgot  her,  and  possibly  thinking  that  such  a  match  might 
have  been  after  all  a  mistake,  he  married  some  one  else. 
Then  Bathild  shook  her  tatters  off,  braided  her  flaxen  hair, 
washed  her  sunny  face,  and  shone  forth  in  her  accustomed 
place.  But  she  had  fled  the  mayor  to  catch  the  king.  How 
Clovis  became  attached  to  her  is  not  recorded  ;  possibly  he 
had  long  noticed  the  meek  maiden  at  the  mayor's  elbow 
filling  his  wine  goblet,  and  her  disappearance  had  made  him 
aware  of  the  strength  of  his  passion.  Certain  it  is  that 
shortly  after,  he  asked  her  to  be  his  lawful  wife,  and  to  sit  at 
his  side  on  the  throne  of  France.  There  was  no  escaping  a 
king ;  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  in  649,  she  was  married  ac- 
cordingly to  Clovis  II.  As  queen  she  exercised  a  most  salu- 
tary influence  over  the  mind  of  her  husband,  and  persuaded 
him  to  enact  many  salutary  laws.  She  became  a  nursing 
mother  to  the  Church  in  France,  and  exerted  herself  to  the 

* 


39^  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  a6. 

utmost  of  her  power  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  the  poor,  and 
ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  serfs.  She  bore  her  husband 
three  sons,  who  all  successively  wore  the  crown,  Clothaire 
III.,  Childeric  II.,  and  Thierry  I.  After  six  years  of  married 
life,  in  655,  Bathild  was  left  a  widow,  when  her  eldest  son 
was  only  five  years  old.  She  then  became  regent  of  the 
kingdom.  The  gentle  queen  remembered  her  sorrows  as  a 
slave,  and  resolved  to  become  the  benefactress  of  the  slave. 
Slavery  was  universally  and  firmly  established  in  France.  To 
root  out  such  an  institution  at  once  was  impossible ;  it 
could  only  be  done  with  caution,  lest  it  should  alarm  and 
rouse  to  opposition  the  great  slave  owners.  She  had  sufficient 
penetration  to  discover  the  great  cause  of  slavery  in  France. 
The  old  Gallic  population  was  crushed  beneath  an  enormous 
tax,  to  pay  which  mothers  were  obliged  to  sell  their  children, 
and  which  reduced  into  bondage  those  unfortunates  who  could 
not  pay.  This  impost  she  abolished,  and  thereby  cut  off  the 
source  of  slavery.  She  also  forbade  the  retention  or  pur- 
chase of  Christian  slaves  ;  but,  to  save  vested  interests,  this 
law  did  not  emancipate  those  already  in  bonds,  but  was  of 
future  operation  only.  She  employed,  moreover,  all  the 
money  she  could  spare  in  the  purchase  out  of  bondage  of 
such  children  as  mothers  had  sold,  out  of  dire  necessity. 
She  also  sent  ambassadors  to  all  the  European  courts,  to 
announce  that  the  sale  of  French  subjects  was  strictly  for- 
bidden, and  that  any  slave  who  should  set  foot  on  French 
soil  would  be  held  from  that  moment  to  be  free. 

Bathild  also  founded  a  large  number  of  religious  houses. 
France  was  then  overspread  with  forests  ;  vast  districts  were 
pathless  wildernesses,  uninhabited  by  men.  Old  cities  which 
had  thriven  under  the  Roman  empire  had  fallen  into  ruins, 
and  the  wolf  made  his  lair  in  the  deserted  chambers.  How 
was  all  this  desolation  to  be  remedied,  this  waste  land  to  be 
reclaimed  ?     A  number  of  men  must  be  gathered  together 

* 


January  a6.]  &      Tkeoritgithd.  2)97 

at  certain  spots,  and  these  must  become  civilizing  centres, 
diffusing  knowledge  amongst  the  people,  and  cultivating  the 
soil.  Such  were  the  monasteries.  They  were  dotted  about 
in  the  wildest  parts  of  the  vast  woods,  and  little  by  little  the 
trees  were  cleared  away  about  them,  and  pastures  and  corn 
land  usurped  their  place,  and  with  the  advance  of  agri- 
culture, civilization  spread.  Bathild  founded  Corbie,  Chelles, 
and  Jumieges,  besides  others  of  less  note.  Towards  the 
close  of  her  days,  when  her  son  Clothaire  was  of  an  age  to 
govern,  she  retired  into  the  monastery  of  Chelles,  where  she 
finished  her  days  in  peace,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty,  in  680. 


S.  THEORITGITHA,  V.,  AT  BARKING. 

(7TH   CENT.) 

[Anglican  Martyrologies,  but  new  Anglo-Roman  Martyrology,  Jan.  23. 
Authority  :    Bede's  Eccl.  Hist.  lib.  4.  c.  9.] 

Theoritgitha  was  a  holy  sister  in  the  convent  of  Bark- 
ing on  the  Thames,  under  the  rule  of  the  abbess  Ethelberga. 
"  She  had  always  endeavoured  to  serve  God  in  all  humility 
and  sincerity,"  says  Bede,  "  and  she  took  care  to  assist  this 
same  mother  in  keeping  up  regular  discipline,  by  instructing 
and  reproving  the  younger  ones."  She  suffered  nine  years 
from  a  cruel  distemper,  which  purified  her  soul.  She  saw  in 
a  vision  a  sign  of  the  approaching  death  of  S.  Ethelberga. 


* % 


-* 


398  Lives    Of  the    Saints.  [January  a?. 


January  27. 

S.  Julian,  B.,  of  Mans,  in  France. 

S.   Julian,  M.,  at  Atina,  in  Italy,  cire.  a.d.  133. 

S.   Devota,  V.  M.,  in  Corsica,  circ.  a.d.  303. 

S.  Peter  the  Egyptian,  H.,  in  Syria,  circ.  a.d.  400. 

S.  Chrysostom,  B.  D.,  at  Constantinople,  a.d.  407. 

S.  Domitian,  Monk  and  Deacon  in  Judea,  a.d.  473, 

S.  Marius,  Ab.  of  La-'val-benoit,  near  Sisteron,  in  France,  6th  cent. 

S.  Lupus,  B.,  af  Chalons-sur-Saone,  in  France,  beginning  of'jth  cent. 

S.  Vitalian,  Pope  of  Rome,  a.d.  671. 

S.  Emerius,  Ab.,  and  his  mother,  S.  Candida,  at  Banoles,  in  Spain, 

end  of  8th  cent. 
S.  Gamelbekt,  P.,  in  Bai/aria,  end  of  8th  cent. 
S.  Sulpicius,  B.,  of  S.  Ghislain  in  Belgium. 
S.  Theodoric  II.,  B.  of  Orleans,  a.d.  1022 
S.  Gildwin,  Can.  of  Dol,  in  Brittany,  a.d.  1077. 
S.  John,  B.  of  French  Flanders,  a.d.  1130. 

S.  JULIAN,  B.  OF  MANS. 
(date  uncertain.) 

[Called  the  Apostle  of  Celtic  Gaul  ;  he  is  commemorated  on  this  day  in 
the  Roman  Martyrology.  In  the  Paris  Martyrology  on  the  28th  Jan., 
others  on  the  31st  ;  that  of  Cologne  on  26th  Jan.  In  the  Roman  Martyr- 
o'ogy  he  is  said  to  have  been  sent  by  S.  Peter  into  Gaul ;  but  as  Bollandus 
has  shown,  this  is  an  error.  His  life  was  written  by  one  Brother  Lethald 
in,  or  about,  A.D.  990.] 

[AINT  JULIAN  was  the  first  to  carry  the  light 

of  the  Gospel  into  that  portion  of  France  of 

which    Le    Mans    is    the    capital.      There    he 

laboured  with  great  success,  destroyed  the  idol 

which  the  people  worshipped,  and  persuaded  great  numbers 

to  be  baptized.     His  life,  written  several  hundreds  of  years 

after  his  death,  is  of  small  authority,  and  contains  little  of 

interest.     His  relics  were  given  to  Paderborn  in  Westphalia, 

in  1 1 43. 

* * 


* * 

January  a».)  S.     DeVOtd.  399 

S.  DEVOTA,  V.  M.,  IN  CORSICA. 

(ABOUT  A.D.  303.) 

[Deivota  seems  to  have  been  the  correct  form  of  her  name,  but  she  is 
usually  called  Devota.     Authority  :  her  Acts.] 

Deivota,  or  Devota  was  brought  up  from  childhood  in 
the  Christian  faith ;  when  she  was  quite  young,  she  was 
taken  into  the  house  of  Eutyches,  a  senator,  and  probably  a 
relation. 

Eutyches  was  not  a  Christian,  but  he  was  a  kindly 
disposed  man,  who  disliked  persecution.  On  the  publication 
of  the  edict  of  Diocletian  against  Christianity,  he  sacrificed 
along  with  the  other  senators ;  but  the  governor,  being  told 
that  he  sheltered  in  his  house  a  little  Christian  maiden, 
ordered  him  to  be  poisoned,  and  Devota  to  be  executed 
with  great  barbarity.  Her  feet  were  tied  together,  and  she 
was  dragged  over  rough  ground  till  her  limbs  were  dis- 
located, and  she  was  cut  and  bruised  over  her  entire 
person.  When,  after  this,  she  was  stretched  on  the  rack, 
she  besought  Jesus  Christ  to  release  her.  Her  prayer  was 
heard,  and  with  a  gentie  sigh  she  expired.  At  the  same 
moment  a  white  dove  was  seen  fluttering  over  her;  it 
expanded  its  pure  wings,  and  mounting,  was  lost  in  the  deep 
blue  of  the  sky.  During  the  night  a  devout  priest,  named 
Benenatus,  a  deacon,  Apollinarius,  and  a  believing  boat- 
man, Gratian  by  name,  removed  her  body,  and  placing  it 
amidst  spices  in  the  little  skiff,  rowed  out  to  sea.  Then  a 
white  dove  appeared,  skimming  over  the  water,  then  wait- 
ing, and  hovering  before  them,  then  darting  forward  ;  and 
they,  remembering  the  apparition  at  her  death,  followed  the 
guidance  of  the  dove,  and  reached  Monaco,  where  they 
laid  her. 


*— — * 


*- 


-* 


400  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  v,. 

S.  JOHN  CHRYSOSTOM,  B.  D. 
(a.d.  407.) 

[Authorities  ;  Socrates,  Sozomen,  life  by  Palladius,  and  his  own  writings, 
Ac.J 

John  Chrysostom  was  the  son  of  Secundus,  a  military 
officer,  born  about  347,  at  Antioch,  and  on  his  father's 
death,  soon  afterwards,  he  became  indebted  for  a  careful 
and  Christian  training  to  his  pious  mother,  Anthusa.  He 
studied  rhetoric  under  the  accomplished  pagan  teacher  Li- 
banius,  who  afterwards,  on  being  asked  to  name  his  own 
successor,  replied,  "John  would  be  the  fittest,  if  the  Chris- 
tians had  not  stolen  him." 

He  was  baptized  by  Meletius,  patriarch  of  Antioch ;  his 
chief  friend  was  S.  Basil,  and  Anthusa's  earnest  pleadings 
were  required  to  counteract  Basil's  proposal  that  they  should 
both  retire  into  monastic  life.  Chrysostom,  as  we  may  most 
conveniently  call  him,  could  not  resist  his  mother's  appeal ; 
he  continued  to  live  at  home,  but  in  the  practice  of  monastic 
asceticism  and  the  diligent  reading  of  Scripture.  He  studied 
theology  under  Diodore,  the  companion  of  Flavian,  who  had 
been  the  champions  of  orthodoxy  against  Arianism,  first  as 
laymen,  and  afterwards  as  priests,  in  Antioch.  Meletius, 
who  had  baptized  John  Chrysostom,  was  himself  a  confessor. 
It  was  probably  about  372-374  that  Chrysostom  and  Basil 
were  spoken  of  as  likely  to  be  made  bishops ;  and  Chrysos- 
tom, by  a  singular  artifice — the  justification  of  which  forms 
the  least  pleasing  portion  of  his  treatise  "  On  the  Priest- 
hood,"— procured  Basil's  consecration  while  evading  the 
burden  himself. 

For  several  years  he  carried  out  the  plan  which,  during 
his  mother's  lifetime  he  had  abandoned,  living  first  in  ceno- 
bitic  "tabernacles,"  and  afterwards  as  a  hermit  in  a  cave, 
until    his   health,    never    robust,    gave   way,    and   he   was 


*- 


* 


£, * 

January  17.]  S.     J 'okft     CflVySOStom.  401 

obliged  to  return  to  Antioch,  where  he  entered  the 
ministry. 

Early  in  387,  an  increase  of  taxes  provoked  the  people  of 
Antioch  to  sedition.  They  threw  down  the  brazen  statues 
of  the  Emperor  Theodosius,  and  his  deceased  wife,  the  pious 
and  charitable  Flacilla.  Flavian,  who  had  been  elected  and 
consecrated  patriarch,  on  the  death  of  Meletius,  set  forth  a 
little  before  Lent,  to  appease  the  emperor,  and  met  the 
officers  of  the  empire,  sent  from  court  to  avenge  the  insult. 
His  absence  was  well  supplied  by  Chrysostom,  who  had 
recently  received  priest's  orders,  and  who  began  to  turn  this 
trouble  to  account  by  a  course  of  "  Sermons  on  the  Statues," 
as  they  are  called.  In  these  he  endeavoured  to  allay  the 
people's  terror,  and  to  convince  them  of  their  besetting  sins 
—of  which  swearing  was  the  chief — and  so  far  succeeded, 
that  the  churches  were  thronged  all  day.  The  people  of 
Antioch  were  pardoned  by  the  emperor  at  the  intercession 
of  the  patriarch. 

S.  Chrysostom  had  been  five  years  deacon,  and  twelve 

years  priest,  when  Nectarius,  bishop  of  Constantinople  died, 

in  397,  after  an  episcopate  which  had  relaxed  the  general 

tone  of  the  clergy.       "Then,"  says  the  biographer  of  S. 

Chrysostom,    "there  came  together   some   who   were   not 

wanted,   priests  unworthy  of  the  priesthood,  besetting  the 

palace  gates,  resorting  to  bribery,  falling  on  their  knees  even, 

before  the  people."     Disgusted  by  this  scandalous  eagerness 

for  an  office  which  saints  were  wont  to  dread,  the  faithful 

entreated  Arcadius,  the  Emperor,  to  look  out  for  one  who 

could   administer   it  worthily.      Eutropius,    the    emperor's 

chamberlain,  had  learned  by  visiting  Antioch  to  admire  the 

character  of  Chrysostom.     He  made  Arcadius  write  to  the 

military  commander  at  Antioch,  desiring  him  to  send  the 

priest  John  to  Constantinople,  without  causing  any  public 

excitement.    The  commander  sent  a  message  to  Chrysostom, 

vol.  r.                                                                        26 
g, * 


*- % 

f 

402  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys. 


asking  him  to  meet  him  "  at  the  Church  of  the  Martyrs,  near 
the  Roman  Gate."  Chrysostom  complied ;  was  placed  in  a 
public  conveyance,  and  hurried  away  from  the  scene  of  his 
early  life  and  priestly  labours.  Several  bishops  were  sum- 
moned for  the  consecration.  Theophilus  of  Alexandria  had 
come  to  Constantinople  to  solicit  the  appointment  for  his 
priest  Isidore.  He  was  required  to  consecrate  Chrysostom, 
but  endeavoured  to  withdraw,  reading  the  decision  and 
earnestness  of  Chrysostom  in  his  face,  and  disliking  him,  for 
he  was  a  thoroughly  worldly,  self-seeking  prelate.  Eutropius 
showed  him  some  papers,  however,  saying,  "  Choose  be- 
tween consecrating  John,  and  undergoing  a  trial  on  the 
charges  made  against  you  in  these  documents."  Theophilus 
could  make  no  reply.  He  consecrated  Chrysostom  on  Feb. 
26th,  a.d.  398  ;  but  he  never  forgave  him  for  having  been 
the  cause  of  this  severe  mortification. 

Over  a  city  in  which  intrigue  and  adulation  were  prac- 
tised as  the  royal  road  to  honour,  John  Chrysostom,  straight 
forward  and  outspoken,  was  set  as  patriarch.  He  came  to 
be  chief  shepherd  over  a  clergy  given  up  to  ease  and  sycop- 
hancy, flattering  the  rich  and  powerful,  fawning  on  the 
emperor  for  place,  and  betraying  their  charge,  the  poor. 

Chrysostom  set  to  work  at  once  as  a  reformer  of  abuses. 
He  forbad  the  clergy  frequenting  the  banquets  of  great  men  ; 
he  struggled  against  the  practice  of  entertaining  "  spiritual 
sisters."  Several  clergy  were  deprived ;  Chrysostom  drew 
upon  himself  the  bitter  dislike  of  many  members  of  their 
body.  He  examined  the  accounts  of  the  church-stewards, 
cut  off  superfluous  expenses,  and  ordered  the  sum  thus 
saved  to  be  applied  to  the  maintenance  of  hospitals.  He 
scrutinized  the  lives  of  the  widows  receiving  pension  from 
the  Church  ;  he  earnestly  besought  contributions  to  a  fund 
for  the  poor ;  he  exhorted  the  faithful  to  attend  the  nocturnal 
services,  but  to  leave  their  wives  at  home  with  the  children. 

►j, . — . _^ 


January  aj.]  S.     J ohfl     CkrySOStOWt.  4O3 

He  rebuked  the  rich  for  their  pride  and  selfishness.  So  great 
was  the  charm  of  his  "  golden  tongued  "  eloquence,  and  of 
the  unmistakeable  nobleness  and  sincerity  of  his  character, 
that  "  the  city  put  on  a  new  aspect  of  piety  f  and  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Catholics  became  more  real,  and  their  lives  more 
earnest  and  pure. 

Among  those  of  the  higher  classes   in   Constantinople 
who  were  offended  by  the  uncompromising  character  of  their 
new  archbishop,  was  Eutropius,  the  chamberlain,  who  had 
raised  him  to  the  see.    He  desired  to  see  the  Church  respect- 
able and  subservient,  the  patriarch  pious  and  obedient,  to 
the  state.   The  Church,  in  his  view,  was  a  portion  of  the  state 
organization,  the  clergy  the  moral  police,  always  to  be  under 
the  direction  of  the  crown.    But  under  Chrysostom's  govern- 
ment it  was  becoming  unmanageable  and  independent.    To 
curtail  its  liberties,  he  procured  a  law  to  annul  the  right  of 
asylum  in  the  churches,  which  had  been  growing  up  during 
the  century.     But  he  was  soon  driven  himself,  by  a  revolu- 
tion in  the  emperor's  counsels,  to  clasp  the  altar  as  the  safe- 
guard of  his  life.      Chrysostom  violated  the  new  law  in 
defence  of  its  author ;  and  while  Eutropius  lay  cowering  in 
the  sanctuary,  bade  the  people  take  home  this  new  lesson  on 
the  vanity  of  vanities.    "  The  altar,"  said  he,  "  is  more  awful 
than  ever,  now  that  it  holds  the  lion  chained."     He  called 
on  his  hearers  to  beg  the  emperor's  clemency,  or  rather,  to 
ask  the  God  of  mercy  to  save  Eutropius  from  threatened 
death,  and  enable  him  to  put  away  his  many  crimes.     He 
bravely  withstood  the  court  in  the  cause  of  Christian  hu- 
manity ;  but  Eutropius  himself  quitted  the  church,  and  was 
condemned  to  exile. 

At  this  time  the  Origenist  controversy  was  raging  with 
great  acrimony.  It  is  difficult  to  pronounce  an  opinion 
upon  it.  Origen  had  unquestionably  published  some 
heretical  opinions,  but  some  were  also  attributed  to  him 

*— # 


*f _ % 

404  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  17. 

which  he  did  not  hold.  Theophilus  of  Alexandria  had 
leaned  strongly  towards  the  Origenists,  but  he  was  not  a 
man  of  principle,  and  he  adopted  that  view  which  suited  his 
purposes  at  the  time.  Finding  it  would  answer  his  ends 
better  to  oppose  Origenism,  he  denounced  it  in  his  Paschal 
letters,  in  401.  The  monks  and  hermits  of  Egypt  had  been 
regarded  with  an  evil  eye  by  heathens,  Arians,  and  insincere 
Christians.  All  the  learned,  the  philosophers,  and  men  of 
letters,  among  the  pagans,  were  emulous  in  their  protest. 
The  impassioned  activity  of  the  monks  against  idolatry, 
their  efforts,  more  and  more  successful,  to  extirpate  it  from 
the  heart  of  the  rural  population,  naturally  exasperated  the 
last  defenders  of  the  idols.  The  Arians  were  still  more 
implacable  than  the  Pagans.  The  tendency  of  these 
enemies  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ  was  in  everything  to 
abuse,  degrade,  and  restrain  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  How 
should  the  monastic  life,  which  was  its  most  magnificent 
development  escape  their  fury?  The  war  between  them 
and  the  monks  was  therefore  long  and  cruel.  The  per- 
secution which  Paganism  had  scarcely  time  to  light  up  to  its 
own  advantage  under  Julian,  was  pitiless  under  the  Arian 
Constantius,  and  more  skilful,  without  being  more  suc- 
cessful, under  the  Arian  Valens.  In  the  time  of  Constantius, 
entire  monasteries,  with  the  monks  they  contained,  were 
burnt  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  frightful  persecution  under  the 
Arian  patriarch  Lucius,  raised  in  Alexandria,  a  troop  of 
imperial  soldiers  ravaged  the  solitude  of  Nitria,  and  mas- 
sacred its  inhabitants.  And  now  Lucius  was  succeeded  by 
the  worldly,  ambitious,  and  utterly  unspiritual  Theophilus, 
who  hated  the  poor  monks  of  the  desert  as  a  living  reproach 
upon  his  own  self-seeking,  and  his  aim  to  accommodate 
Christianity  to  worldliness.  He  soon  quarrelled  with  S. 
Isidore  the  hospitaller,  who  had  suffered  under  the  Arian 
Lucius,  and  whom  he  now  drove  from  Alexandria,  hating 

* ■ * 


January  2»J  S.     J ' okfl     ChrySOStom.  4O5 

him,  as  those  holding  to  mammon  always  will  hate  those 
who  hold  to  Christ.  Isidore  fled  to  Nitria.  Theophilus 
brought  the  charge  of  Origenism  against  the  monks  there. 
The  chief  Nitrian  monks  were  Dioscorus,  Bishop  of  Nitria, 
Ammonius,  Eusebius,  and  Euthymius  ;  they  were  known  as 
the  "Tall  Brothers."  Theophilus  ordered  them  to  be 
expelled ;  when  they  came  to  remonstrate,  his  eyes  flashed, 
his  face  became  livid,  he  threw  his  episcopal  pall  round  the 
neck  ot  Ammonius,  struck  him  on  the  face  with  open  palm 
and  clenched  fist,  and  cried,  "  Heretic,  anathematize 
Origen !"  They  returned  to  Nitria ;  the  patriarch,  in  a 
synod,  condemned  them  unheard,  and  proceeded  by  night 
to  attack  their  monasteries,  at  the  head  of  a  drunken  band. 
Dioscorus  was  dragged  from  his  throne;  the  cells  of  the 
other  three  were  burned,  together  with  copies  of  both 
Testaments,  and  even  the  reserved  portions  of  the  Holy 
Eucharist.  It  was  said  that  a  boy  perished  in  the  flames. 
The  brothers,  with  many  of  their  companions,  fled  to 
Scythopolis  in  Palestine,  hoping  to  support  themselves  in  a 
place  famous  for  palms,  by  their  occupation  of  weaving 
palm-baskets.  The  enmity  of  Theophilus  hunted  them  out 
of  this  refuge;  they  reached  Constantinople,  and  fell  at 
Chrysostom's  feet,  "Who  is  it,"  asked  he  with  tears,  "that 
has  injured  you  ?"  They  answered,  "  Pope  Theophilus ; 
prevail  upon  him,  father,  to  let  us  live  in  Egypt,  for  we  have 
never  done  aught  against  him  or  against  our  Saviour's  law." 
He  lodged  them  in  the  church  called  Anastasia ;  allowed 
them  to  attend  the  service,  but  prudently,  to  avoid,  if  pos- 
sible, a  breach  with  their  persecutor,  debarred  them  from 
the  communion.  They  had  been  condemned  by  their  own 
patriarch,  and  it  was  not  for  him  to  admit  them  to  com- 
munion without  a  fair  investigation  and  authoritative  excul- 
pation. He  wrote  to  Theophilus,  in  the  tone  of  a  "  son  and 
brother,"  praying  him  to  be  reconciled  to  the  fugitives  ;  but 

*- * 


406  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  *»• 

Theophilus,  who  disclaimed  his  right  to  interfere,  defamed 
them  as  sorcerers  and  heretics.  The  Tall  Brothers  now 
appealed  to  the  emperor  and  empress,  who  ordered  Theo- 
philus to  be  summoned,  and  the  accusations  against  the 
brothers  made  by  him  to  be  examined.  The  accusations 
were  soon  proved  to  be  groundless.  Theophilus,  who 
openly  said  he  was  "  going  to  court  in  order  to  depose 
John,"  arrived  in  Constantinople  in  June,  402,  with  a  load 
of  gifts  for  the  emperor,  the  empress,  and  the  court,  from 
Egypt  and  India.  He  at  once  assumed  a  tone  of  con- 
tumelious hostility  towards  S.  Chrysostom.  He  would  not 
visit  or  speak  to  him ;  he  even  abstained  from  entering 
the  church. 

While  Chrysostom  declined  to  hear  judicially  the  com- 
plaints of  the  Tall  Brothers,  Theophilus  was  concocting  a 
scheme  for  his  deposition.  All  the  courtiers  among  the 
bishops,  and  the  worldly  among  the  clergy  desired  it,  for 
their  tempers  rebelled  against  godly  discipline,  and  the  ex- 
ample of  his  own  self-denial  was  a  standing  protest  against 
their  self-indulgence.  Acacius,  Bishop  of  Berrhcea,  had  been 
provided  with  so  homely  a  lodging  by  Chrysostom  that  he 
joined  the  malcontents,  venting  his  spleen  in  the  curious 
menace,  "  I  will  cook  a  dish  for  him  !"  Eudoxia,  the  em- 
press, who  had  heard  of  a  sermon  in  which  Chrysostom  had 
lashed  the  pride  of  women,  took  the  side  of  his  enemies, 
who  determined  to  hold  a  council  at  a  suburb  of  Chalcedon, 
called  "  The  Oak."  The  bishops  who  attended  were  thirty- 
six.  Twenty-nine  charges  were  advanced  against  the  patri- 
arch. Some  were  of  open  violence ;  that  he  had  beaten  and 
chained  a  monk,  had  struck  a  man  in  church  so  as  to  draw 
blood,  and  then  had  offered  the  sacrifice.  Others  were  of 
evil  speaking;  he  had  said  his  clergy  "were  not  worth  three- 
pence ;"  he  had  accused  three  deacons  of  having  stolen  his 
pall     He  was  also  charged  with  misconduct  in  his  office  ; 


-*h 


* * 

January  aj.]  S.     J okfl     CJlTySOStom.  4.O7 

he  sold  church  furniture,  had  been  careless  in  conferring 
orders ;  he  was  unsociable,  gave  women  private  interviews, 
was  irreverent  in  church,  and  ate  wafers  while  sitting  on  his 
throne.  Some  of  these  charges  were  gross  exaggerations  of 
that  plain-spoken  severity  which  knew  no  respect  of  persons. 
Others  were  inventions  more  or  less  malignant.  One  of  the 
basest  was  the  charge  about  disposing  of  church  ornaments. 
Like  other  saints,  he  had  done  so  for  the  sake  of  the  suffer- 
ing poor. 

While  these  charges  were  being  read  at  the  Oak,  he  sat  in 
his  palace  with  forty  bishops,  and  consoled  them  by  quoting 
texts  of  Scripture.  "  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered.  Do 
not  weep  and  break  my  heart !  To  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and 
to  die  is  gain." 

Now  entered  two  young  bishops  from  the  council  at  the 
Oak  citing  "  John  "  to  appear,  with  other  clergy.  The  forty 
bishops  sent  a  deputation  to  remonstrate  with  Theophilus. 
Chrysostom,  for  himself,  sent  word  that  he  objected  to  Theo- 
philus and  three  others  as  disqualified,  by  avowed  hostility, 
to  be  his  judges.  A  bishop,  named  Isaac,  produced  a  new 
list  of  charges,  three  of  which  were  remarkable.  He  had 
used  strong  language  about  fervour  of  rapturous  devotion. 
He  had  been  emphatic  in  his  assurances  of  Divine  long- 
suffering.  This  was  denounced  as  an  encouragement  of 
sinners  in  their  sins;  but  it  was  forgotten  that  he  had  warned 
men  against  presuming  thereon.  "  He  had  eaten  before  ad- 
ministering baptism,"  that  is  the  Paschal  baptism  which  was 
followed  immediately  by  a  celebration  of  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
and  which  therefore  implied  non-fasting  performance  of  the 
sacrifice;  and  "he  had  given  the  Eucharist  to  persons  who 
were  not  fasting  ;"  two  charges  which  he  vehemently  denied. 
"  If  I  have  done  this,  may  my  name  be  effaced  from  the  roll  of 
bishops,"  he  said.  The  council  pronounced  him  contuma- 
cious, and  deposed  him,  requesting  the  emperor,  Arcadius, 

* — — * 


408  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  37. 

also  to  punish  him  for  insolence  towards  Eudoxia.      This 
was  in  403. 

Appealing  in  vain  to  a  more  just  tribunal,  Chrysostom 
was  dragged  from  his  church,  and  hurried  by  night  into 
Bithynia.  That  night  an  earthquake  shook  the  palace; 
Eudoxia,  frightened  at  the  omen,  wrote  to  the  exile,  entreat- 
ing him  to  return.  He  was  escorted  to  the  city  by  a  joyous 
multitude,  bearing  tapers  and  chanting  psalms,  who  forced 
him,  in  spite  of  the  irregularity  of  such  a  proceeding,  to 
ascend  his  throne,  before  the  sentence  of  the  council  of  the 
Oak  could  be  annulled.  This  was,  however,  speedily  done 
by  a  synod  of  sixty  bishops  ;  the  hostile  assembly  could  not 
stand  its  ground,  and  Theophilus,  after  meanly  forcing  the 
two  surviving  brothers,  on  the  ground  of  their  monastic 
obedience,  to  ask  his  pardon,  consulted  his  safety  by  flight 
to  Alexandria. 

New  troubles  soon  began.  In  September  of  the  same 
year  403,  a  silver  statue  of  the  Empress  Eudoxia  was 
erected  near  the  cathedral,  and  the  Manichean  governor  of 
the  city  encouraged  wild  and  heathenish  dancing  in  its 
honour,  which  interrupted  the  church  service.  Chrysostom 
spoke  strongly  on  the  subject,  and  was  said  to  have  begun  a 
sermon  with  the  words,  "Again  Herodias  rages,  again  she 
demands  the  head  of  John."  The  foes  of  the  archbishop 
seized  the  opportunity.  His  old  enemy  Theophilus  sent 
three  bishops  to  Constantinople.  The  feeble  Emperor 
Arcadius  was  persuaded  to  order  that  Chrysostom  should  be 
refused  the  use  of  the  churches.  Easter-eve  came,  April  16. 
Arcadius  said  to  the  chief  adversaries  of  Chrysostom,  "  See 
to  it,  that  you  are  not  giving  me  wrong  counsel."  "  On  our 
heads,"  they  answered,  "  be  the  deposition  of  John  !"  One 
of  the  forty  faithful  bishops  bade  the  haughty  empress  fear 
God,  and  have  pity  on  her  own  children.  As  the  churches 
were  closed  to  S.  John  Chrysostom,  he  held  the  solemn 

*—  * 


January  a?.]  S.     J okfl    ChrySOStom.  4O9 

services  of  the  day  in  the  Baths  of  Constantine.  Thither 
the  people  thronged,  abandoning  the  churches.  The 
courtier  bishops  complained,  and  it  was  resolved  to  break 
up  this  assembly.  A  band  of  soldiers  was  sent  together 
with  four  hundred  barbarian  recruits  to  clear  the  bath, 
about  9  p.m.  They  pressed  onwards  to  the  font,  dispersed 
the  catechumens,  for  on  that  day  it  was  customary  to 
baptize  great  numbers,  struck  the  priests  on  the  head  until 
their  blood  was  mingled  with  the  baptismal  water,  rushed  up 
to  the  altar  where  the  sacred  Body  and  Blood  were  reserved 
for  communicating  the  newly  baptized,  and  overthrew  them, 
so  that  as  S.  Chrysostom  says  in  his  letter  to  Pope  Innocent 
of  Rome,  "the  most  holy  Blood  of  Christ,  as  might  be 
expected  in  so  great  a  tumult,  was  spilled  on  the  clothes  of 
the  soldiers."  Thus  were  the  Arian  horrors  renewed.  On 
Easter-day,  Arcadius,  riding  out  of  the  city,  saw  some  three 
thousand  newly  baptized  in  their  white  robes.  "  Who  are 
those  persons  ?"  he  asked.  "  They  are  heretics,"  was  the 
answer;  and  a  new  onslaught  was  made  upon  them. 
During  the  paschal  season,  those  who  would  not  disown  S. 
Chrysostom  were  cast  into  prison.  Within  the  churches, 
instead  of  the  joyful  worship  of  the  season,  were  heard  the 
sounds  of  torture,  and  the  terrible  oaths  by  which  men  were 
commanded  to  anathematize  the  archbishop.  His  life  was 
twice  attempted ;  his  people  guarded  his  house  ;  he  wrote 
an  account  of  what  had  happened  to  the  Bishops  of  Rome, 
Milan  and  Aquileia.  Pope  Innocent,  who  had  already 
heard  Theophilus'  version  of  the  story,  continued  his  com- 
munion for  the  present  to  both  parties,  but  summoned 
Theophilus  to  attend  a  council. 

Towards  the  end  of  Whitsun-week,  Arcadius  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  send  another  mandate  to  Chrysostom — 
"  Commend  your  affairs  to  Cod,  and  depart."  Chrysostom 
was  persuaded  to  depart  secretly ;  he  called  his  friends  to 

* * 


-* 


4IQ  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  *». 


prayer ;  kissed  them,  bade  farewell  in  the  baptistry  to  the 
deaconesses,  and  desired  them  to  submit  to  a  new  bishop, 
if  he  were  ordained  without  having  solicited  the  see.  "  The 
Church  cannot  be  without  a  bishop."  Whilst  the  people 
waited  for  him  to  mount  his  horse  at  the  great  western  door, 
he  went  out  at  the  eastern ;  repeating  to  himself  the  words 
of  Job,  "  Naked  came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and 
naked  I  return  thither  !" 

This  was  his  final  expulsion,  June  20th,  404 ;  he  crossed 
over  to  Bithynia,  while  a  fire  broke  out  which  consumed  the 
cathedral  and  the  palace  of  the  senate.  Some  ascribed  it  to 
incendiaries  ;  others  called  it  a  sign  of  divine  wrath.  Several 
of  Chrysostom's  friends,  the  "  Joannites,"  as  they  were  called, 
were  cruelly  treated,  as  if  guilty  of  the  fire.1 

The  place  of  his  exile  was  Cucusus,  in  Armenia ;  and 
there,  after  a  journey,  the  pain  of  which  was  only  alleviated 
by  marks  of  sympathy  and  reverence,  he  arrived  in  the  middle 
of  September.  The  bishop  of  Cucusus  offered  to  resign  his 
see  in  his  favour ;  and  Dioscorus,  a  man  of  rank,  entreated 
him  as  a  favour  to  occupy  his  own  house,  which  he  fitted  up 
for  the  exile's  convenience,  with  a  liberality  against  which 
Chrysostom  writes,  "  I  am  continually  exclaiming."  Very 
soon  after  he  reached  Cucusus,  the  Empress  Eudoxia  bore 
a  dead  child  and  expired. 

Pope  Innocent  wrote  to  the  exile,  exhorting  him  to 
patience  by  Scriptural  examples.  "  A  good  man  can  be  ex- 
ercised, but  he  cannot  be  overcome,  while  the  Divine  Scrip- 
tures fortify  his  mind.  Venerable  brother,  let  your  conscience 
comfort  you."  He  also  wrote  to  the  clergy  and  laity  of 
Constantinople,  declaring  his  intention  of  holding  a  General 
Council  for  the  composing  of  these  miserable  quarrels. 
The  saintly  exile  in  Cucusus,  while  suffering  from  illness 

1  See   concerning   the  fire  and    subsequent    persecution   in   the  account  of  SS. 
Eutropius  and  Tygris,  Jan.  12th  ;  p.  163. 

* * 


*- 


. * 

January  J?]  S.    J oktl     CkrySOStOM.  411 

and  intense  cold,  and  in  constant  peril  from  freebooters, 
continued  to  discharge  the  office  of  a  good  shepherd.  He 
wrote  letter  after  letter  to  the  faithful  lady  Olympias  in 
Constantinople,  exhorting  her  to  remember  that  the  only 
trial  really  terrible  was  sin.  He  lamented  that  faithful 
bishops  were  suffering  for  adherence  to  his  communion  ;  he 
exhorted  them  and  their  clergy  to  be  of  good  courage.  His 
pastoral  thoughtfulness  extended  far  beyond  a  merely  general 
care  for  his  brethren's  welfare.  We  find  him  rebuking  two 
priests  of  Constantinople,  one  of  whom  had  only  preached 
five  times  between  his  expulsion  and  October,  while  the 
other  had  not  preached  once ;  setting  on  foot  a  mission  to 
the  pagans  of  Phoenicia ;  anxious  to  have  a  good  bishop 
consecrated  for  the  Goths ;  drawing  tighter  the  old  ties 
which  bound  him  to  the  clergy  of  Antioch,  and  employing 
part  of  his  friend's  contributions  in  the  redemption  of  cap- 
tives, and  the  relief  of  the  poor. 

Pope  Innocent  now  boldly  espoused  his  cause,  as  that  of 
a  confessor  for  righteousness'  sake.  He  assembled  a  synod, 
and  persuaded  Honorius,  Emperor  of  the  West,  who  had 
already  remonstrated  with  Arcadius,  Emperor  of  the  East, 
to  write  in  a  more  peremptory  tone,  demanding  a  council  at 
Thessalonica,  and  pointing  out  Theophilus  of  Alexandria 
as  the  reputed  author  of  the  present  evils. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  year,  the  furious  incursions  of 
the  Isaurian  robbers,  filling  the  country  with  rapine  and 
bloodshed,  compelled  S.  Chrysostom  to  take  shelter  in  the 
castle  of  Arabiscus.  The  winter  was  again  a  time  of  dis- 
comfort; he  could  not  obtain  a  sufficiency  of  medicines; 
and  the  snow-drifts  prevented  him  from  receiving  his 
friend's  letters.  About  this  time  the  western  delegates 
sent  from  Rome  with  four  eastern  bishops  who  had  gone 
thither  to  plead  the  cause  of  Chrysostom,  were  intercepted 
on  their  way  to  Constantinople,  and  confined  in  a  fortress, 

* —  ■ * 


412  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January^. 

their  credentials  were  violently  wrung  from  them,  and 
instead  of  being  allowed  to  see  Arcadius,  the  westerns  were 
sent  back  to  Italy,  the  easterns  banished  to  the  frontiers 
of  the  empire.  On  their  way  they  were  cruelly  harassed, 
robbed  of  their  money,  wearied  by  prolonged  days'  journeys, 
and  compelled  to  lodge  in  the  lowest  haunts  of  profligacy. 
One  of  them  consoled  his  brethren  by  observing  that  their 
presence  recalled  the  wretched  women  to  thoughts  of  God, 
which  might  result  in  their  salvation,  and  His  glory.  That 
the  persecution  was  in  great  measure  a  systematic  revenge 
on  Chrysostom  as  the  representative  of  clerical  strictness, 
is  evidenced  by  such  a  fact  as  that  a  venerable  man  named 
Hilary  was  scourged,  not  by  a  judge,  but  by  the  clergy. 
Chrysostom  wrote  to  thank  his  western  friends  for  their 
sympathy,  and  sent  a  second  letter  to  Pope  Innocent, 
assuring  him  that  "  in  the  third  year  of  exile,  amid  famine, 
pestilence,  war,  sieges,  indescribable  solitude,  and  daily 
peril  from  Isaurian  swords,  he  was  greatly  consoled  and 
delighted  by  Innocent's  genuine,  stedfast,  and  abundant 
charity." 

The  winter  of  406-7  was  severe,  but  Chrysostom  pre- 
served his  health  by  never  stirring  out  of  a  close  and  well- 
warmed  chamber.  In  the  summer  his  enemies,  dreading 
his  influence  on  the  people  of  Antioch,  who  went  to  visit 
him,  procured  an  order  for  his  removal  to  Pityus  on 
the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  the  last  fortress  of  the  empire. 
His  guards  were  ordered  to  exhaust  him  by  long  journeys. 
Through  scorching  heat  and  drenching  rains,  he  was  hurried 
on,  and  never  allowed  the  refreshment  of  the  bath ;  one 
only  of  the  guards  being  disposed  to  show  him  furtive 
kindnesses.  For  three  months  this  painful  journey  lasted  ; 
at  length  they  halted  at  the  Church  of  S.  Kasisliscus,  a  short 
distance  from  Comana,  in  Pontus.  That  night,  the  sufferer 
had  a  foreboding  that  his  release  was  at  hand.     The  martyr 

* * 


9 . * 

jMuary  3».]  5".  John  Chrysostom.  413 

Basiliscus  appeared  to  him  and  said,  "Courage,  brother 
John,  to-morrow  we  shall  be  together."  In  the  morning, 
Sept.  14,  407,  he  begged  to  be  allowed  to  stay  in  the 
church  until  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  It  could  not 
be ;  he  was  forced  to  proceed,  but  after  travelling  about 
four  miles,  he  was  so  evidently  dying,  that  they  returned  to 
the  church.  There  he  asked  for  white  garments,  and  ex- 
changed for  them  those  which  he  wore.  He  was  still 
fasting;  he  received  the  Holy  Communion,  doubtless  from 
the  priest  of  the  church,  offered  up  his  last  prayer,  added 
his  usual  thanksgiving,  "  Glory  to  God  for  all  things,"  and 
sealed  it  with  a  final,  Amen.  "  Then  he  stretched  out  his 
feet,  which  had  run  so  beauteously  for  the  salvation  of  the 
penitent,  and  the  rebuke  of  the  habitual  sinners,"  and 
calmly  expired,  in  about  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age,  and  in 
the  tenth  of  his  episcopate.  He  was  buried  beside  the 
martyr  Basiliscus,  the  funeral  being  attended  by  a  throng  of 
virgins  and  monks  from  Syria,  Cilicia,  Pontus,  and  Armenia. 
No  comment  on  his  glorious  life  could  be  so  expressive  as 
the  doxology  with  which  it  closed,  and  which,  gathering 
into  one  view  all  its  contrasts,  recognised  not  only  in 
success  and  honour,  but  in  cruel  outrage,  and  homeless 
desolation,  the  gracious  presence  of  a  never-changing  Love.1 

S.  LUPUS,  B.  OF  CHALONS. 

(7TH  CENT.) 
[Called  in  France  Loup,  Leul,  or  Leu.  He  was  canonized  by  Pope  John 
VIII,  in  879  ;  he  is  commemorated  on  this  day  at  ChAlons  ;  also  there  on 
April  30th,  the  day  of  his  canonization.  His  life  is  by  an  anonymous  writer, 
who  says  that  he  wrote  it  from  the  remembrance  of  those  who  had  read  the 
Acts  of  S.  Lupus  which  had  been  destroyed  by  fire.] 

S.  Lupus,  Bishop  of  Cabilinum,  or  Chalons  sur  Saone, 
flourished  about  the  year  610.     He  was  the  son  of  honour- 

1  This  life  is,  for  the  most  part,  taken   from  the  Rev.  Canon  Bright's  "  Hist,  of 
the  Church  from  a.d.  313  to  a.d.  4jl."     London,  1863. 

*~ " * 


* * 

41 4  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [><»«fy  li- 

able parents,  and  he  commended  himself  to  the  people  by 
his  abundant  charity,  his  self-denial,  and  his  tenderness  to 
the  sick.  Chalons  being  ill-provided  with  drinking  water, 
and  the  soil  dry  and  sandy,  he  miraculously  provided  it 
with  an  abundant  spring  which  flows  to  the  present  day. 
The  story  is  thus  told.  He  stood  one  day  with  his  ivory 
pastoral  staff  in  hand  watching  the  hay  makers ;  the  sun  was 
hot,  and  the  labourers  were  exhausted.  Moved  with  compas- 
sion, and  knowing  that  the  turbid  waters  of  the  river  were 
unfit  to  drink,  he  struck  his  staff  into  the  sand,  and  a  limpid 
spring  bubbled  up.  When  dying  he  sent  for  the  governor  of 
Chalons,  and  begged  him  to  pardon  the  unfortunate 
wretches  who  languished  in  the  prison  under  sentence  of 
death.  The  governor  roughly  refused.  After  Lupus  was 
dead,  his  funeral  passed  the  city  prison,  and  the  bier  was  set 
down  at  that  place.  The  prisoners  stretched  their  hands 
through  the  bars  of  their  windows  crying  piteously.  In- 
stantly their  chains  fell  off,  the  doors  flew  open,  and  they 
were  set  at  liberty. 


S.  THEODORIC  II,  B.  C.  OF  ORLEANS. 

(A.D.     I022.) 

[Called  in  France  Thierry.     Authority  :  an  ancient  life  in  Bollandus.] 

S.  Thierry  was  born  at  Chateau  Thierry,  so  called  from 
an  ancestor  of  the  saint,  whose  family  was  noble  and 
wealthy.  He  was  taken  to  court  and  gained  the  confidence 
of  King  Robert  the  Good.  On  the  death  of  Bishop  Arnulf 
of  Orleans,  Thierry  was  elected,  with  the  consent  of  the  king, 
to  fill  the  vacant  see.  His  appointment  was  opposed  by  a 
priest  named  Adalric  who  had  desired  the  throne  for  him- 
self, and  who  had  the  indecency  to  burst  into  the  church 
with  a  band  of  armed  men,  and  thrust  up  to  the  very  altar, 


*- 


January  27.J  S.    Theodoric.  4.15 

uttering  violent  menaces,  when  Thierry  was  being  con- 
secrated, in  the  hopes  of  terrifying  the  consecrating  bishops 
from  what  they  were  doing.  Afterwards  the  priest  at  the 
head  of  a  party  of  ruffians  waylaid  the  Bishop  by  night,  in  a 
lane,  and  throwing  him  from  his  horse,  ran  him  through,  as 
they  believed,  with  a  sword.  The  weapon  providentially 
cut  through  his  garments  without  wounding  him ;  and  when 
the  would-be  assassins  had  fled,  he  rose  and  regained  the 
city.  Adalric,  fearing  the  consequences,  threw  himself  on 
the  compassion  of  the  Bishop,  and  asked  his  pardon,  which 
Thierry  frankly  accorded  him.  Thierry  died  on  a  journey 
at  Tonnerre,  where  his  kinsman  Count  Milo  built  the  church 
of  S.  Michael  over  his  body.  He  was  succeeded  on  the 
throne  of  Orleans  by  the  priest  Adalric. 


S.  JOHN,  B.  OF  FRENCH  FLANDERS. 

(a.d.   i  130.) 

This  saint  was  forced  into  the  episcopate  by  Pope  Urban 
against  his  desire.  He  was  a  most  meek  and  gentle-spirited 
man,  full  of  thought  for  others,  but  severe  upon  himself,  as 
was  evidenced  by  one  little  fact  noticed  by  his  biographer. 
He  was  wont  to  rise  very  early  to  his  prayers,  and  when  he 
did  so,  he  took  the  greatest  care  not  to  disturb  others  in  the 
room  and  house.  When  he  was  dying,  crowds  of  people 
came  to  see  his  loved  face  for  the  last  time,  and  he  gave  them 
his  benediction,  and  died  in  so  doing. 


* .,j, 


41 6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  a 


January  28. 

SS.  Thyrsus,  Leucius  and  Others,  MM.,  in  Asia,  a.d.  Jjo. 

SS.  Emilian,  B.,  Hilarian,  Mk.,  and  Others,  MM.,  at  Trevi,  in 

Umbria,  a.d.  303. 
S.  Valerius,  B.  of  Saragassa,  beginning  of +th  cent. 
S.  Palladius,  H.,  in  Syria,  end  of  \th  cent, 
S.  Cyril,  Pat.  of  Alexandria,  a.d.  444. 
S.  John,  Ab.  of  Reomay,  circ.  a.d.  54$. 
S.  James,  H.,  in  Palestine,  6th  cent. 
S.  Paulimis,  Pair,  of  Aquileia,  a.d.  804. 
B.  Charlemagne,  Emp.,  a.d.  814. 
S.  Richard,  Ab.  of  Valcelles,  in  France,  11th  cent. 
S.  Julian,  B.  of  Cuenca,  in  Spain,  a.d.  1207. 
B.  Margaret,  of  Hungary,  f.O.S.D.;  a.d.  1271. 
B.  Gentile,  If.,  at  Ravenna,  a.d.  1330. 

SS.  THYRSUS,  LEUCIUS,  CALLTNICUS, 
AND  OTHERS,  MM. 

(a.d.  250.) 

[Roman  Kalendar  on  Jan.  28th  ;  Greek  Menaea  on  Dec.  14th  ;  Mart. 
attributed  to  S.  Jerome  on  Jan.  20th.  The  martyrs  not  having  all  suffered 
the  same  day  or  in  the  same  places,  has  led  to  considerable  variety  in  the 
days  of  their  commemoration.  Their  Acts  are  extant  in  three  forms,  agree- 
ing together  in  most  particulars,  and  evidently  amplifications  by  different 
hands  of  the  original  Acts.     They  are  not  to  be  implicitly  relied  upon.] 

[N  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Decius,  Combritius, 
the  governor  of  Bithynia,  made  the  circuit  of  the 
province,  to  carry  into  execution  the  severe  im- 
perial edict  against  the  Christians.    Being  a  man 
of  a  naturally  cruel  disposition  he  subjected  those  brought 
before  him  to  the  most  exquisite  torments  his  ingenuity 
could  devise.     Thyrsus  had  his  eyelids  pierced,  and  rings 
put  through  them,  and  molten  lead  was  poured  down  his 
back.     His  arms  and  legs  were  broken.     He  died  in  prison. 
Leucius  was  hung  up,  and  torn  with  iron  hooks,  and  then 
decapitated ;   Callinicus  and  several  others  suffered  in  this 
persecution  by  various  deaths. 

* # 


* * 

January  28.]     15'1S'.    Valerius  and  Palladius.         417 
S.  VALERIUS,  B.  OF  SARAGOSSA. 

(BEGINNING   OF   4TH    CENT.) 
[Roman  Martyrology,  but  in  others  on  Jan.  19th,  22th,  23rd,  or  29th.] 

Of  this  saint  little  is  known,  except  that  he  associated 
with  him  S.  Vincent,  to  speak  for  him,  he  having  an 
impediment  in  his  speech.  When  Dacian  persecuted  the 
Church,  S.  Valerius  was  taken  to  Valentia  and  there 
imprisoned.  When  brought  forth  and  interrogated,  his 
nervousness  prevented  him  from  articulating  a  word,  there- 
fore Vincent,  the  deacon,  spoke  for  him.  Vincent  was 
ordered  to  execution,  but  Valerius  was  banished. 


S.  PALLADIUS,  H.  IN  SYRIA 

(END    OF   4TH    CENT.) 

[This  Palladius  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  author  of  the  Historia 
Lausiaca.  He  is  mentioned  by  Theodoret,  who  relates  of  him  all  that  is 
kDown.] 

Palladius  was  a  friend  of  Simeon  the  Ancient;  they 
often  met  to  encourage  one  another  in  the  practice  of  self- 
denial  and  prayer.  One  incident  in  the  life  of  this  hermit 
has  been  alone  transmitted  to  us.  Not  far  from  his  cell  was 
a  frequented  market  A  merchant  who  had  been  at  it  was 
waylaid,  robbed  and  murdered  by  a  man  who,  after  having 
done  the  deed,  cast  the  body  by  the  door  of  the  hermir/s  cell. 
Next  day  a  crowd  assembled,  instigated  by  the  murderer, 
and  with  threatening  looks  and  words,  they  broke  open  the 
hermit's  door,  and  drew  him  forth,  charging  him  with  the 
murder.  Then  Palladius  raised  his  hands  and  eyes  to 
heaven  and  prayed.  And  when  his  prayer  was  concluded, 
he  turned  to  the  corpse  and  said,  "  Young  man,  designate 
the   murderer  1"     Thereupon    the   dead   man    partly  rose, 

vol.    1.                                                                        27 
* — ij, 


*- 


-* 


418  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »& 

raised  his  hand  and  pointed  at  him  who  had  killed  him  ; 
and  when  he  was  apprehended,  articles  belonging  to  the 
deceased  were  discovered  upon  him. 


S.  CYRIL,  PATR.  OF  ALEXANDRIA. 
(a.d.  444.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  The  Greeks  celebrate  the  memory  of  S.  Cyril  on 
June  9th,  and  commemorate  him  together  with  S.  Athanasius  on  June  18th. 
Authorities  :  Socrates,  Sozomen,  Marius  Mercator,  the  Acts  of  the  council 
of  Ephesus,  and  his  own  letters  and  treatises  &c] 

This  great  champion  of  the  faith  has  been  attacked  by 
modern  writers  as  passionate  and  intolerant ;  it  is  true  that 
he  was  guilty  of  several  errors  in  administrating  his 
patriarchate,  and  that  his  impetuosity  gave  the  impulse 
which  led  to  serious  violation  of  justice.  But  we  must 
remember  that  no  man,  not  the  greatest  of  saints,  is  without 
imperfection  of  character,  and  that  the  greatest  of  saints  are 
they  who,  having  serious  natural  defects,  have  mastered  them 
by  their  faith  and  self-control.  S.  Cyril  began  his  patriarch- 
ate under  disadvantageous  circumstances.  He  was  the 
nephew  of  Theophilus,  patriarch  of  Alexandria,  Chrysostom's 
worst  enemy,  a  man  devoid  of  principle,  wholly  given  up  to 
pride  of  station;  on  October  15th,  412,  he  closed  his 
episcopate  of  twenty-seven  years ;  a  melancholy  instance  of 
great  powers  rendered  baneful  to  the  Church  by  a  worldly 
spirit  and  a  violent  temper.  He  was  succeeded  by  his 
nephew  Cyril.  The  evil  of  his  uncle's  example  hung  about 
him  for  some  time,  obscuring  the  nobleness  which  was  to 
shine  out  afterwards.  He  desired  above  all  things  the 
ascendancy  of  the  Church ;  as  to  the  means  of  obtaining 
which,  he  had  fewer  scruples  than  became  a  minister  of 


*- 


-* 


* _ % 

January^.]  S.     Cyril.  4I9 

Him  who  rebuked  the  attack  on  Malchus.  He  closed  the 
Novatian  church,  took  away  its  sacred  ornaments,  and 
deprived  its  Bishop  of  his  property.  The  Jews  of 
Alexandria — a  powerful  body  during  many  centuries — had 
procured  the  disgrace  and  punishment  of  Hierax,  an 
admirer  of  Cyril's  sermons.  Cyril,  naturally  indignant, 
menaced  the  chief  of  their  community ;  the  Jews'  revenge 
was  to  raise  a  cry  at  midnight,  "The  Church  of  S. 
Alexander  is  on  fire !"  and  to  massacre  those  Christians 
who  rushed  out  to  save  their  church.  Cyril  appears  to 
have  made  up  his  mind  that  the  Christians  must  right  them, 
without  expecting  justice  from  the  praefect  Orestes,  and  he 
organized  at  day-break  a  force  which  attacked  the  syna- 
gogues, expelled  the  Jews  from  Alexandria,  and  treated 
their  property  as  rightful  spoil.  Orestes,  exasperated  at 
this  hasty  and  lawless  vengeance,  would  not  listen  to  the 
explanations  which  Cyril  offered ;  and  the  archbishop,  after 
vainly  holding  out  the  Gospels  to  enforce  his  attempts  at  a 
reconciliation,  gave  up  all  hopes  of  peace.  Five  hundred 
monks  of  Nitria,  inflamed  by  a  furious  partisanship,  entered 
the  city  and  reviled  the  prgefect  as  a  pagan.  "  I  am  a 
Christian,"  he  exclaimed;  "Atticus  of  Constantinople 
baptized  me."  A  monk  named  Ammonius  disproved  his 
own  Christianity  by  throwing  a  stone  at  the  praefect,  which 
inflicted  a  ghastly  wound.  He  was  seized,  and  expired 
under  tortures  ;  but  Cyril  so  miserably  forgot  himself  as  to 
call  this  ruffian  an  "  admirable "  martyr,  a  proceeding  of 
which  he  was  afterwards  heartily  ashamed.  Then  followed 
a  darker  tragedy.  Hypatia,  a  learned  lady,  and  teacher  of 
philosophy,  and  a  heathen,  who  had  great  influence  in  the 
city  in  opposing  Christianity,  was  supposed  to  have  em- 
bittered Orestes  against  Cyril;  and  some  fiery  zealots, 
headed  by  a  reader  of  the  church,  named  Peter,  dragged 
her  from  her  house  and  tore  her  to  pieces,  limb  from  limb. 

*■ — * 


* * 

420  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  »8. 

Cyril  was  no  party  to  this  hideous  deed,1  but  it  was  the 
work  of  men  whose  passions  he  had  originally  called  out 
Had  there  been  no  onslaught  on  the  synagogues,  there 
would  have  been  no  murder  of  Hypatia.  The  people  of 
Alexandria  were  singularly  fiery  and  given  to  civil  con- 
tensions.  Gibbon  says  of  them,  "  The  most  trifling  occasion, 
a  transient  scarcity  of  flesh  or  lentils,  the  neglect  of  an  ac- 
customed salutation,  a  mistake  of  precedency  in  the  public 
baths,  or  even  a  religious  dispute,  were  at  any  time  suffi- 
cient to  kindle  a  sedition  among  that  vast  multitude,  whose 
resentments  were  furious  and  implacable."2  A  ferocious 
civil  war  which  lasted  twelve  years,  and  raged  within  the 
city,  till  a  considerable  portion  had  been  reduced  to  ruins 
in  the  reign  of  Valerian,  had  originated  in  a  dispute  between 
a  soldier  and  a  townsman  about  a  pair  of  shoes. 

Cyril  had  inherited  all  his  uncle's  violent  prejudice  against 
S.  John  Chrysostom.  Pope  Innocent  had  not  been  able  to 
procure  the  vindication  of  his  memory  at  Constantinople. 
But  soon  after  his  death,  Atticus  his  successor,  a  good  man, 
but  weak  and  timid,  and  a  declared  enemy  to  Chrysostom, 
who  had  resisted  the  Pope's  exhortation,  yielded  to  the 
popular  feeling,  and  to  the  advice  of  the  Emperor  Theo- 
dosius,  who  thought  that  "  for  peace  and  unity  there  would 
be  no  harm  in  writing  a  dead  man's  name  on  a  diptych," 
i.e.,  on  the  table  of  names  of  the  departed  prayed  for  at  the 
Mass.  Atticus  excused  himself  for  this  compliance  in  a 
letter  to  Cyril,  in  which  he  observed  that,  in  these  Eucha- 
ristic  commemorations,  laymen  as  well  as  bishops  were  in- 
cluded. The  nephew  of  Theophilus  was  not  likely  to  be 
thus  appeased;  and  he  extracted  from  the  messengers  of 
Atticus  the  confession  that  Chrysostom  was  now  commemo- 

1  "  That  Cyril  had  any  share  in  this  atrocity,"  says  Canon  Robertson,  i.  401, 
"  appears  to  be  an  unsupported  calumny." 
•  Decline  and  Fall,  Ed.  Bonn,  i.  p.  348. 


January  a8.]  S.     Cyril.  421 

rated  as  a  Bishop.  In  his  view,  Chrysostom  was  simply  a 
man  who  had  forfeited  the  episcopate ;  and  he  called  upon 
Atticus  to  "expunge  from  the  sacerdotal  catalogue  the  name 
of  one  who  was  no  minister,"  distinctly  intimating  that  un- 
less he  resolved  to  uphold  the  authority  of  the  Council  of 
the  Oak,1  he  would  forfeit  the  communion  of  the  patri- 
archate of  Alexandria. 

But  as  time  passed,  Cyril  thought  better  of  this,  and 
regretted  his  violence  and  prejudice.  Isidore  of  Pelusium, 
a  pious  abbot,  wrote  to  him,  "Put  an  end  to  these 
dissensions,  lest  you  incur  the  judgment  of  God,"  and 
urged  him  not  to  make  a  perpetual  schism  in  the  Church  by 
refusing  to  commemorate  Chrysostom.  He  placed  the 
name  of  Chrysostom  on  his  diptychs,  and  immediately  was 
received  into  communion  with  Rome  from  which  he  had 
been  estranged  by  his  adherence  to  the  prejudices  of  his 
uncle. 

Atticus,  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  was  succeeded  in 
426,  by  Sisinius,  who  died  on  Christmas  Eve,  427.  Nestor- 
ius,  a  Syrian  bred  in  Antioch,  of  high  reputation  and  great 
powers  as  a  speaker,  ascetic  and  studious  in  his  habits,  was 
consecrated  to  the  see  on  April  10th,  428.  His  first  sermon 
indicated  a  feverish  polemical  zeal.  "Give  me,"  he  ex- 
claimed, addressing  the  Emperor,  "  give  me  the  earth  clear 
of  heretics,  and  I  will  give  you  heaven  in  return !  Help 
me  to  overthrow  the  heretics,  and  I  will  help  you  to  over- 
throw the  Persians."  He  began  his  episcopate  by  attacking 
an  Arian  meeting-house ;  the  Arians  set  fire  to  it  in  their 
despair;  the  flames  caught  other  buildings,  and  the  new 
patriarch  received  the  ominous  name  of  "  the  Incendiary." 
The  early  violence  of  Cyril  ought  neither  to  be  extenuated 
nor  exaggerated :  but  there  was  somewhat  less  of  provocation 
for   the   persecuting   zeal   of    Nestorius.       Shortly   before 

1  See  p.  406. 

* # 


* * 

42  2  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  aS. 

Christmas,  428,  a  priest  named  Anastasius,  whom  the  new 
archbishop  had  brought  from  Antioch,  was  preaching  in  S. 
Sophia.  In  the  sermon  he  said,  "  Let  no  one  call  Mary  the 
Mother  of  God ;  for  she  was  a  human  creature,  of  whom 
God  could  not  be  born."  Nestorius  was  present  and 
approved ;  and  on  Christmas  Day  he  himself  began  a  short 
course  of  sermons,  in  which  he  called  the  title  heathenish, 
and  spoke  of  Mary's  Son  as  a  mere  man,  the  instrument 
employed,  and  the  vesture  worn  by  God.  Eusebius,  a 
lawyer  in  the  city,  stood  up  in  full  church,  and  proclaimed 
that  the  Eternal  Word  Himself  was  born  after  the  flesh. 
Nestorius  denounced  this  doctrine ;  "  It  was  not  the  Word 
that  was  born,"  said  he  ;  "  It  was  only  the  man  Jesus." 

Soon  after,  on  a  festival  in  honour  of  the  Virgin,  probably 
the  Annunciation,  a  certain  Bishop  Proclus  preached  in  the 
great  church  before  Nestorius.  After  speaking  of  S.  Mary 
in  glowing  language,  as  the  bush  burning  and  unconsumed, 
the  cloud  that  bore  the  cherub-throne,  Gideon's  fleece  filled 
with  heavenly  dew,  he  passed  to  the  practical  bearings  of 
the  Catholic  doctrine.  "  If  the  Word  had  not  dwelt  in  the 
womb,  Flesh  had  never  sat  down  on  the  holy  throne.  It 
was  necessary,  either  that  the  doom  of  death  should  be 
executed  on  all,  for  all  have  sinned,  or  that  such  a  price 
should  be  paid  in  exchange  as  could  fully  claim  the  release. 
Man  could  not  save,  for  he  was  under  the  pressure  of  the 
debt  of  sin.  An  angel  could  not  redeem  humanity,  for  he 
had  lacked  such  a  ransom  as  was  needed.  One  only  course 
remained,  that  the  sinless  God  should  die  for  sinners.  It 
was  God  who  out  of  His  compassion  became  Man.  We  do 
not  proclaim  a  man  deified,  but  we  confess  a  God  Incarnate. 
The  Self-same  was  in  the  Father's  bosom,  and  in  the  Virgin's 
womb ;  in  a  mother's  arms,  and  on  the  wings  of  the  wind. 
He  was  adored  by  angels,  while  He  sat  at  meat  with  publi- 
cans.    The  servant  buffeted  Him,  and  creation  shuddered. 

* * 


* — * 

January  28.]  S.     Cyril.  423 

He  was  laid  in  the  tomb,  and  he  spread  out  the  heavens  as 
a  curtain.  O  the  mystery !  I  see  the  miracles,  and  I 
proclaim  the  Godhead ;  I  see  the  sufferings  and  I  declare 
the  Manhood."  Nestorius  rose  from  his  throne  and 
rebuked  the  preacher.  He  said  that  to  speak  of  God  as 
virgin-born  was  erroneous,  and  in  after  sermons  he  argued 
that  God  who  "  held  the  circle  of  the  earth  "  could  not  be 
wrapt  in  grave-clothes ;  that  the  Sustainer  of  all  things  could 
not  rise  from  the  dead.  Christ,  he  said,  was  a  sinless  man, 
the  image  of  the  Godhead  through  His  goodness ;  and  that 
as  a  child  was  of  the  same  nature  as  its  mother,  therefore 
that  Christ  could  not  be  divine  as  Mary  was  not  divine.  He 
allowed  to  Christ  a  divinity,  but  not  the  divinity,  placing  Him 
rather  as  chiefest  of  saints  than  as  God.  It  was  Arianism 
under  another  form. 

His  sermons  caused  a  great  excitement  at  home  as  well 
as  abroad.  Men  saw  that  the  question  was  no  strife  of 
words ;  laymen  who  felt  that  Catholic  truth  was  their 
inheritance,  no  less  than  that  of  the  clergy,  shrank  from  the 
communion  of  a  bishop  who  made  void  the  Incarnation. 
Clergy  began  to  preach  against  him,  "They  are  croaking 
frogs,"  said  Nestorius,  and  he  obtained  an  imperial  order  to 
to  silence  them.  A  priest  began  to  celebrate  in  private,  an 
abbot  and  a  monk  told  Nestorius  to  his  face  that  he  was  in 
error,  and  were  savagely  beaten  and  imprisoned  for  so  doing. 
A  monk  who  dared  to  denounce  him  as  a  heretic  was 
scourged  and  exiled.  Among  his  supporters  a  bishop 
named  Dorotheus  was  the  chief.  When  he  preached  his 
heresy,  the  congregation  uttering  a  cry  of  indignation,  rushed 
out  of  church,  but  Nestorius  proceeded  with  the  service,  and 
administered  Communion  to  the  preacher. 

The  careful  circulation  of  the  archbishop's  sermons  brought 
them  into  the  hands  of  the  Egyptian  monks.  Cyril  strove  to 
undo  their  effect  by  a  letter  addressed  to  the  monks,  about 

* * 


* 

424  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys 

the  end  of  April,  429.  They  would  have  done  better,  he 
said,  by  abstaining  from  the  controversy ;  but  it  was  neces- 
sary as  things  stood,  to  impress  on  them  the  positive  truth. 
Since  Christ  was  Emmanuel,  since  He  who  was  in  the  form 
of  God  assumed  the  form  of  a  servant,  since  the  Son  of  Man 
was  adorable,  since  the  Lord  of  glory  was  crucified,  it  was 
impossible  to  divide  the  persons,  and  separate  the  manhood 
from  the  Godhead.  To  sum  up  all  in  one  simple  formula ; 
"  If  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  God,  how  can  His  Mother,  the 
holy  Virgin,  be  not  Mother  of  God  ?"  He  guarded  himself 
from  misrepresentation  by  clearly  confessing  that  it  was 
from  Mary  that  Christ  derived  His  human  nature,  but  that 
it  was  not  from  her  that  He  derived  His  divine  nature.  He 
was  God,  from  her  He  received  His  humanity,  but  to  her 
He  was  not  indebted  for  His  Godhead. 

About  Midsummer  he  wrote  his  first  letter  to  Nestorius, 
urging  him  not  to  produce  scandal  and  a  schism  by  asserting 
that  God  dwelt  in  Christ  instead  of  proclaiming  the  Catholic 
doctrine  that  Christ  was  God.  In  February,  430,  S.  Cyril 
wrote  his  second  letter  to  Nestorius — the  great  Epistle 
which  received  in  subsequent  councils  a  formal  sanction 
from  the  Church.  He  set  forth  his  faith  in  the  clearest 
terms,  insisting  on  a  real,  not  a  merely  moral  union  of  God 
and  Man  in  Christ.  Nestorius  replied,  showing  a  strange 
confusion  of  mind  in  the  matter,  which  contrasts  painfully 
with  the  bright,  crisp,  and  lucid  style  of  Cyril.  He  was 
ready  to  allow  that  Christ  was  an  association  of  God  with 
the  man,  Jesus  ;  but  he  would  not  admit  that  God  and  man 
made  one  Christ. 

Now  it  was  that  Cyril  shone  as  a  bright  star  in  the  firma- 
ment of  the  Church,  proved  a  pillar  in  the  house  of  God, 
sustaining  the  truth.  For  this  God  had  raised  him  up,  to 
maintain  in  the  face  of  heresy,  the  Unity  of  the  Person  in 
our  Blessed  Lord.     What  S.  Athanasius  had  done  for  the 


GA&l' 


■hl  n 


S.   CYRIL   OF   ALEXANDRIA. 
After  the  Picture  by  Dominiquin  in  the  Church  of  Grotto  Ferrata,  Rome. 


Jan.,  p.  424.] 


I  Jan.  28. 


* £, 

January  a8.]  6".     Cyril.  425 

Church  when  assailed  by  Arianism,  Cyril  was  called  to  per- 
form when  she  was  beaten  by  Nestorianism.  "  I  care  not 
for  distress,  or  insult,  or  bitterest  revilings,"  said  he  in  a 
letter  to  his  clergy,  "  Only  let  the  faith  be  kept  safe." 

Early  in  August  a  council  met  at  Rome.  Pope  Celestine 
quoted  a  stanza  from  the  Christmas  hymn  of  S.  Ambrose : — 

"  Redeemer  of  Earth's  tribes  forlorn, 
Come,  show  Thyself  the  Virgin-born ; 
Let  every  age  the  marvel  greet — 
No  common  birth  for  God  were  meet." 

"  Thus,"  he  added,  "  Our  brother  Cyril's  meaning,  when 
he  calls  Mary,  the  mother  of  God,  entirely  agrees  with  Talis 
deal  partus  Deum."  He  cited  S.  Hilary  and  S.  Damasus  as 
teaching  the  same  doctrine  of  One  Christ ;  and  the  council 
pronounced  Nestorius  guilty  of  heresy.  On  August  nth,  he 
wrote  to  Cyril,  accepting  his  doctrinal  statements,  and 
giving  him  an  important  commission.  "  Join  the  authority 
of  our  see  to  your  own,  and  freely  occupying  our  place, 
execute  this  sentence  with  strictness  and  rigour ;  so  that, 
unless  in  ten  days  time  from  this  monition,  he  condemns  in 
writing  his  unholy  doctrine,  and  assures  us  that  he  holds 
that  faith  concerning  the  birth  of  Christ  our  God,  which  is 
held  by  the  Roman  Church,  and  by  your  Holiness'  Church, 
and  by  all  who  belong  to  our  religion,  your  Holiness  may 
provide  for  his  Church,  and  let  him  know  that  he  must 
needs  be  cut  off  from  our  body." 

On  the  19th  of  November,  the  emperor  Theodosius,  at 
the  request  of  Nestorius  and  his  opponents,  summoned  a 
general  council  to  meet  at  Ephesus  at  the  ensuing  Pentecost. 
Besides  the  circular  letter,  Cyril  received  a  private  one, 
angry  in  tone,  from  the  emperor,  asking,  "Why  have  you 
despised  us,  and  raised  all  this  agitation,  as  if  a  rash  im- 
petuosity were  more  befitting  than  accurate  inquiry,  or 
audacity  and  versatility  more  pleasing  to  us  than  good  taste 

* -£< 


* * 

426  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  a8. 

and  simple  dealing."  In  a  council  held  at  Alexandria,  Nes- 
torius  was  declared  heretical,  and  was  excommunicated. 

On  Sunday,  December  7th,  four  bishops  entered  the  cathe- 
dral of  Constantinople,  during  the  time  of  service,  and  pre- 
sented to  Nestorius  the  letters  of  C  destine  and  Cyril  ex- 
communicating him. 

About  four  or  five  days  before  Whit-sunday,  which  in  431, 
fell  on  June  7  th,  Cyril  reached  Ephesus,  accompanied  by 
fifty  bishops,  and  found  that  Nestorius  had  arrived  with 
sixteen  before  him.  The  Roman  legates,  Arcadius  and 
Projectus,  bishops,  with  Philip,  a  priest,  were  on  their  way. 
Pope  Celestine  had  already  expressed  to  Cyril  his  opinion, 
that  if  Nestorius  were  minded  to  repent,  he  should  by  all 
means  be  received,  notwithstanding  the  sentence  already 
pronounced  by  Rome  and  Alexandria.  The  bishops  of  the 
patriarchate  of  Antioch  had  not  yet  arrived.  The  church  of 
Africa  devastated  by  the  Vandals  could  send  no  prelate; 
but  Capreolus  of  Carthage  wrote,  entreating  the  bishops  to 
maintain  the  ancient  doctrine. 

Hostilities  were,  in  one  sense,  commenced  between  the 
parties  before  the  opening  of  the  council.  Memnon,  bishop 
of  Ephesus,  excluded  the  Nestorians  from  the  churches,  so 
that  they  had  no  place  wherein  to  celebrate  Pentecost,  or  to 
say  matins  and  vespers. 

Acacius,  bishop  of  Melitene,  endeavoured  to  convert 
Nestorius.  A  bishop  of  the  Nestorian  party  said  to  him, 
"The  Son  who  suffered  is  one,  God  the  Word  is  another." 
Acacius  withdrew  in  horror;  but  another  saying  that  fell 
from  Nestorius  impressed  itself  yet  more  indelibly  upon 
every  Catholic  heart.  On  June  19th,  some  prelates  were 
arguing  with  him  on  the  divinity  of  Jesus.  "  For  my  part," 
said  he,  several  times  over,  "  I  cannot  say  that  a  child  of 
two  or  three  months  old  was  God."  Thus  he  declared  his 
disbelief  in  the  foundation  doctrine  of  Christianity. 

* * 


* — * 

January  a8.]  ►S.     Cyril.  ^.2^ 

On  Sunday,  June  21st,  a  fortnight  had  elapsed  from  the 
time  fixed  for  the  meeting  of  the  council.  The  Bishops 
were  weary  of  waiting ;  illness  and  even  death,  had  appear- 
ed among  them;  and  John,  patriarch  of  Antioch  had  not 
arrived.  The  majority  therefore  sent  a  message  to  Nes- 
torius,  telling  him  that  the  council  should  begin,  next  day. 
On  Monday,  June  22nd,  when  198  Bishops  assembled  in  S. 
Mary's  Church,  he  personally  remonstrated  against  the 
council  being  opened  till  the  Bishops  of  the  patriarchate  of 
Antioch  had  arrived.  It  was  in  vain;  Cyril  and  the 
majority  absolutely  refused  to  delay.  On  the  episcopal 
throne,  in  the  centre  of  the  assembly,  were  laid  the  Gospels ; 
the  Bishops  sat  on  each  side ;  Cyril,  as  highest  in  rank,  and 
as  holding  the  proxy  of  Ccelestine,  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Roman  legates,  presided  in  the  assembly.  It  would  have 
been  better  if  some  other  bishop  had  discharged  this  office; 
but  it  appears  that  Cyril's  part  in  the  proceedings  was 
mainly  that  of  a  producer  of  evidence,  and  that  he  called  on 
the  council  to  judge  between  himself  and  Nestorius.  A 
second  citation  was  then  directed  to  Nestorius ;  but  soldiers 
with  clubs  denied  the  deputies  access  to  his  presence,  and 
he  sent  out  word  that  he  would  attend  when  all  the  bishops 
had  reached  the  city. 

A  third  message  was  then  dispatched  to  him ;  care  being 
taken  to  treat  him  simply  as  an  accused  bishop,  not  as  a 
condemned  heretic.  Again  the  rude  sentinels  thrust  back 
the  deputies.  "  If  you  stand  here  all  night,  you  will  get  no 
satisfaction;  Nestorius  has  ordered  that  no  one  from  your 
council  shall  enter."  They  returned  to  S.  Mary's.  "Nes- 
torius," said  the  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  "shows  a  bad 
conscience.  Let  us  now  proceed  to  compare  all  recent 
statements  with  the  creed  of  Nicsea." 

When  the  great  confession  had  been  read,  then  the  second 
letter  of  Cyril  to  Nestorius,  and  extracts  from  the  sermons 

& ■ * 


*- 


428  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  28 

of  the  accused,  the  fathers  proceeded  to  depose  and  excom- 
municate Nestorius,  in  the  name  of  "  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
whom  he  has  blasphemed."  The  sentence  was  signed  by 
all  the  bishops ;  the  first  signature  being,  "  I,  Cyril,  Bishop 
of  Alexandria,  subscribed  to  the  judgment  of  the  council." 
It  was  now  late  in  the  summer  evening.  The  bishops,  on 
issuing  from  the  church,  were  welcomed  with  loud  applause 
by  the  people,  who  had  thronged  the  streets  all  day. 
Torches  and  perfumes  were  burnt  before  them,  as  they  pro- 
ceeded to  their  several  abodes ;  and  thus  ended  the 
memorable  first  session  of  the  council  of  Ephesus.  It  is 
interesting  to  think  that  while  the  bishops  were  going  home 
that  night,  after  a  day  of  intense  excitement,  Paulinus  of 
Nola  was  calmly  giving  up  his  soul.  His  last  words, 
breathed  forth  in  a  low  chant  at  the  hour  of  vespers,  were 
those  of  Psalm  cxxxi.  17,  (cxxxii.)  Paravi  lucernam  Christo 
meo.     "  I  have  prepared  a  lamp  for  my  Christ" 

On  Saturday,  June  27th,  John  of  Antioch  arrived  with 
fifteen  Bishops.  The  council  sent  deputies  to  his  lodging : 
he  consented  to  see  them,  but  permitted  Count  Irenasus,  a 
friend  of  Nestorius,  to  beat  them  cruelly.  Dusty  and 
travel-stained  as  he  was,  John  proceeded  to  assemble  a 
conclave  of  the  partisans  of  Nestorius,  numbering  forty- 
three  Bishops,  and  deposed  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  and 
Memnon  of  Ephesus. 

Theodosius,  the  emperor,  prejudiced  in  favour  of  Nes- 
torius, and  thinking,  perhaps  not  without  reason,  that  the 
prelates  of  Antioch  should  have  been  awaited  before  the 
opening  of  the  council,  wrote  on  June  29th,  in  severe  terms, 
ordering  that  no  bishop  should  leave  Ephesus  until  the 
doctrinal  question  had  been  fairly  scrutinized,  and  declaring 
the  proceedings  null. 

And  now  the  Roman  legates  arrived,  and  the  second 
session  was  held  in  Memnon's  house,  July  10th.    Celestine's 


*- 


* ,J, 

January  28.]  S.     Cyril.  429 

letter  to  the  council,  dated  May  8,  expressed  full  confidence 
that  the  council  would  join  with  the  legates  in  executing 
what  Rome  had  already  decided  was  good.  The  bishops 
answered  by  applause,  "One  Ccelestine,  one  Cyril,  one 
faith  of  the  council,  one  faith  of  the  world !" 

Next  day,  in  the  third  session,  the  council  wrote  to  the 
emperor  that  the  whole  Church  was  against  Nestorius ;  and 
in  a  fourth  session  John,  patriarch  of  Antioch,  who  supported 
the  heretic,  was  deposed  and  excommunicated.  The 
emperor  then  sent  his  high-treasurer,  Count  John,  to  com- 
pose the  differences  in  a  summary  manner.  On  his  arrival 
he  at  once  arrested  Cyril,  Memnon,  and  Nestorius,  and 
soldiers  were  stationed  at  the  doors  of  their  bed-rooms,  to 
keep  them  close  prisoners. 

The  bishops  of  the  council,  in  a  letter  to  the  clergy  of 
Constantinople,  described  the  distress  which  they  were 
enduring.  "  We  are  killed  with  the  heat,  the  air  is  un- 
healthy, there  is  a  funeral  nearly  every  day,  the  servants  are 
all  gone  home  sick  ;  but  if  they  make  us  die  here,  we  will  not 
alter  what  Christ  has  through  us  ordained."  Many  of  the 
bishops  were  very  ill ;  some  had  been  obliged  to  sell  all  that 
they  had,  in  order  to  pay  their  expenses.  Cyril  wrote  also, 
but  there  was  a  difficulty  in  getting  these  letters  carried  to 
their  destination.  The  Nestorians  of  Constantinople  beset 
the  ships  and  the  roads,  and  would  allow  no  ordinary 
messenger  to  enter  the  city.  It  was  determined  to  give 
them  into  the  care  of  a  beggar,  who  might  carry  them  in  the 
hollow  of  a  cane  on  which  he  leant  This  ingenious  device 
succeeded.  The  clergy  of  Constantinople  received  the 
sentence  of  deposition  pronounced  on  their  patriarch,  and  the 
letters  of  Cyril  and  the  council.  The  clergy  openly 
addressed  the  emperor  on  behalf  of  Cyril.  There  was  a 
great  stir  among  the  monks,  who  were  for  the  most  part 
determined    enemies    of   Nestorianism.     The   aged   abbot 

* £t 


* . * 

430  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [>noary  j8. 

Dalmatius  had  not  left  his  monastery  for  nearly  fifty  years. 
The  emperor  had  vainly  striven  to  make  him  take  a  part  in 
the  processional  services  during  earthquakes.  But  now  he 
felt,  as  he  expressed  it,  that  in  a  cause  which  so  truly 
belonged  to  God  he  could  not  be  inactive.  He  issued 
forth,  at  the  head  of  a  solemn  train  of  monks  and  abbots, 
chanting  in  two  choirs,  which  moved  towards  the  palace ; 
the  abbots  were  at  once  admitted  to  the  presence  of 
Theodosius,  and  he  having  read  the  letter  of  the  council, 
said,  "  If  these  things  are  so,  let  the  Bishops  come 
hither."  "  They  are  prevented,"  said  Dalmatius.  "  No 
they  are  not,"  said  the  emperor.  "  They  are  under  arrest," 
persisted  the  abbot.  The  conference  ended  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  abbots ;  they  came  forth,  and  directed  the 
multitude  without  to  proceed  to  a  large  church  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  city.  Again  the  procession  swept  onwards  ; 
monks,  bearing  wax  tapers,  led  the  psalmody,  without  which 
in  those  days  no  great  religious  movement  was  conceivable; 
and  the  inspiring,  "O  praise  God  in  His  holiness,"  was 
thundered  forth  as  they  approached  their  destination.  The 
church  was  thronged  with  eager  listeners ;  Dalmatius  caused 
the  letter  of  the  council  to  be  read,  and  then  described  the 
interview  with  Theodosius.  Dalmatius  might  well  write  to 
the  council,  "  I  have  not  neglected  your  wishes."  His  inter- 
position was  a  great  event ;  he  had  proved  too  many  for  the 
Nestorians.  By  his  simple  devotion  and  impressive  firm- 
ness, the  old  recluse  had  given  force  and  unity  to  a  great 
mass  of  public  feeling,  and  broken  the  spell  by  which  a 
party  had  bound  the  emperor. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  follow  the  tangled  threads  of  party 
strife  much  further.  Theodosius  confirmed  the  decree  of 
the  council,  and  on  Sunday,  Oct.  25th,  431,  a  new  patriarch 
was  consecrated  to  fill  the  room  of  Nestorius.  John  of  An- 
tioch  had  been  led  astray  by  party  feeling,  and  in  faith 


Ig. * 

January  a8.]  S.     Cyril.  43  I 

he  had  not  been  really  heretical ;  his  mind  like  that  of 
other  supporters  of  Nestorius  was  bewildered,  and  fearing 
lest  Cyril  should  fall  in  the  opposite  error,  that  of  Apollin- 
aris,  which  lost  one  nature  in  the  other,  making  of  Christ 
but  one  nature,  he  had  adopted  the  side  of  Nestorius.    Now 
he  was  reconciled  to  Cyril,  who  gladly  met  him  half  way,  and 
by  mutual  explanation  blew  away  the  dust  of  strife,  and 
found  that  their  faith  was  identical.    John  sent  Paul,  Bishop 
of  Emesa,  to  Alexandria  with  this  confession,  "  We  confess 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  to  be 
perfect  God  and  perfect  Man,  of  a  reasonable  soul  and  a 
body ;  before  the  ages  begotten  of  the  Father  according  to 
His  Godhead,  but  for  us  and  for  our  salvation,  in  the  latter 
days,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary  according  to  His  Manhood  ; 
of  one  essence  with  the  Father  as  to  Godhead,  of  one  essence 
with  us  as  to  Manhood.     For  there  took  place  an  union  of 
two  natures ;  wherefore  we  confess  one  Christ,  one  Son,  one 
Lord.     According  to  this  notion  of  the  union  without  confu- 
sion, we  confess  Holy  Mary  to  be  Mother  of  God,  because 
God  the  Word  was  incarnate  and  made  man,  and  from  His 
very  conception  united  to  Himself  the  temple  taken  from  her." 
This  formulary  Cyril  gladly  accepted  as  orthodox,  and 
then,  and  not  till  then,  Paul  of  Emesa  was  permitted  to 
attend   the   church   service,   and   invited  to  preach,   as  a 
Catholic  Bishop,  on  Christmas  Day.     The  scene  that  ensued 
was  a  very  striking  one.     He  began  with  the  angelic  hymn, 
proceeded   to   Isaiah  vii.    14,    and  then   pronounced   the 
momentous  words,   "  Thus  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  brings 
forth   Emmanuel  1"     The   church    rang  with  joyful   cries ; 
"  Lo,   this  is  the  faith  !    'Tis  God's  gift,  orthodox  Cyril ! 
This   is  what  we  wanted  to  hear  !"     Paul  resumed,  and 
presently    enforced   both   sides   of  the  great   verity.     "A 
combination  of  two  perfect  natures,  I  mean  Godhead  and 
Manhood,  constitutes  for  us  the  one  Son,  the  one  Christ,  the 

£, ■ %, 


432  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  28. 

one  Lord."  Again  the  people  shouted  applause ;  "  Welcome, 
orthodox  Bishop,  the  worthy  to  the  worthy  !" 

S.  Cyril  died  in  June,  444,  after  a  pontificate  of  thirty-two 
years,  during  the  last  fifteen  of  which  he  may  be  said  to  have 
as  truly  lived  for  the  truth  of  the  unity  of  the  two  natures  in 
Christ,  as  his  mightiest  predecessor,  S.  Athanasius,  had 
lived  for  the  truth  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ  Doubtless,  the 
fiery  spirit,  which  Cyril  could  not  always  restrain,  impelled 
him,  during  this  great  controversy,  into  some  steps  which 
show  that  he  was  not  an  Athanasius.  But  modern  critics  of 
his  character  have  said  more  than  enough  on  this  point,  and 
too  little  on  points  of  a  different  kind.  Historical  justice 
can  never  demand  that  we  should  take  the  hardest  possible 
view  of  his  conduct  at  the  opening  of  the  council  of  Ephesus, 
and  ignore  the  noble  unselfishness,  the  patience  in  explain- 
ing over  and  over  again  his  own  statements,  the  readiness  in 
welcoming  substantial  agreement  on  the  part  of  others,  in  a 
word,  the  "power,  and  love,  and  command"  which  made 
him  a  true  minister  of  peace  in  the  reunion  of  433.  We 
need  not  dwell  on  other  instances  in  which  he  showed  a 
remarkable  forbearance,  as  when  he  bore  without  irritation  the 
schooling  of  S.  Isidore  ;  on  his  care  for  the  due  probation  of 
aspirants  to  the  priesthood,  his  depth  and  acuteness  as  a 
dogmatic  theologian,  his  faith  and  thankfulness  when  treated 
as  a  deposed  prisoner.  The  way  not  to  understand  him  is 
to  substitute  a  haughty  and  heartless  dogmatist  for  the 
ardent,  anxious,  often  the  deeply  suffering  man,  who,  against 
an  opponent  strong  in  sophistry,  in  court  influence,  and  in 
church  power,  persevered  in  defending  the  simple  truth  of 
the  Scriptural  and  Nicene  mystery,  that  "the  one  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  was  very  God  of  very  God,  who  for  us  men  and 
for  our  salvation  came  down  from  heaven,  and  was  incarnate, 
and  was  made  Man."1 

»  Chiefly  from  Bright's  Church  History. 
*— £, 


S.    CYRIL   OF   ALEXANDRIA.     After  Cahi 


Jan.,  p.  432.] 


[Jan. 


_ . * 

January^.]  S.     JameS.  433 

S.  JAMES,  THE  PENITENT,  H. 
(6th  cent.) 

[Roman  Martyrology  and  Greek  Mensea,  but  by  the  Gallo-Belgic 
Martyrology  on  Jan.  29th.  Authority  :  a  life  written  apparently  not  long 
after  the  death  of  S.  James.  There  are  so  many  saints,  and  even  hermit 
saints  of  this  name,  that  some  confusion  would  have  arisen  but  for  the 
remarkable  peculiarity  of  the  life  of  this  man.] 

The  story  of  this  hermit  is  a  painful  and  very  sad  one ; 
it  is  that  of  a  great  fall  and  bitter  repentance.  As  a  warning 
to  all  those  who  are  living  lives  near  to  God,  to  be  not  high- 
minded  but  fear,  the  Church  has  placed  it  in  her  sacred 
Kalendar,  but  not  only  as  a  lesson  to  such,  but  also  as  an 
encouragement  to  the  poor  wretch  who  has  fallen,  to  look  up, 
not  to  despair,  for  great  as  may  be  his  sin,  greater  is  the 
mercy  of  God. 

Near  the  city  of  Porphyrio  in  Samaria  lived  a  hermit  in  a 
cave.  He  was  not  old,  but  in  the  bloom  of  manhood. 
Some  wicked  men,  desirous  of  disgracing  the  anchorite, 
suborned  a  harlot  to  bewitch  him.  She  therefore  went 
to  his  cave  one  evening,  and  knocked  at  the  door.  He 
opened  the  door,  and,  seeing  a  woman,  slammed  it  in  her 
face.  But  she  continued  knocking  and  imploring  to  be 
admitted.  Night  fell,  and  the  howl  of  the  wolf  and  the 
snarl  of  the  hysena  sounded  dolefully  without;  then  the 
hermit,  fearing  lest  the  woman  should  become  prey  to  wild 
beasts,  opened  the  door,  and  asked  her  who  she  was.  She 
replied  that  she  was  a  religious  woman  on  her  road  from  one 
convent  to  another,  who  sought  shelter  for  the  night.  Then 
he  admitted  her  to  the  outer  chamber  of  his  cave,  where 
burnt  his  fire,  and  there  he  bade  her  rest,  whilst  he  retired 
into  the  inner  chamber,  and  closed  the  door.  But,  during 
the  night,  he  heard  her  moaning  and  sobbing,  then  he 
looked  through  the  little  window  in  the  door,  and  saw  her 
rolling  on  the  ground,  as  if  in  great  pain.     He  asked  what 

vol.  1.                                                                         28 
^ — _ * 


gl — * 

434  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  a& 

ailed  her,  and  she  answered  that  she  had  cramp  of  the 
heart,  and  implored  him  to  relieve  her,  by  signing  her  bosom 
and  heart  with  holy  oil.  Then  she  tore  open  her  garment, 
and  exposed  her  breast;  and  he,  entering,  took  oil  and 
anointed  her  bosom;  but  fearing  temptation,  he  prayed  to 
God  with  great  devotion,  and  at  the  same  time  placed  his 
left  hand  in  the  fire,  whilst  with  his  right  he  continued  doing 
as  she  demanded,  till  suddenly,  she  was  aware  that  his  left 
hand  was  so  burned  that  the  fingers  were  completely  charred 
through.  Then,  horror-struck,  and  filled  with  compunction, 
she  threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  sobbing  confessed  her 
evil  design.  So  he  bade  her  go  and  sin  no  more,  and 
the  woman  was  converted  from  her  evil  life,  and  she 
went  and  lived  the  rest  of  her  days  in  the  exercise  of 
penitence. 

Now,  after  this,  James  was  of  good  confidence  that  he  had 
completely  mastered  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  he  was  less 
on  his  guard  against  the  wiles  of  Satan  than  before.  And 
people  saw  his  maimed  hand,  and  they  praised  his  great 
continence,  so  his  heart  was  lifted  up  within  him,  and  he  was 
filled  with  spiritual  pride.  After  many  years,  when  he  was 
over  sixty,  there  came  to  his  cell  a  father  bringing  his 
daughter,  a  very  beautiful  girl,  who  was  possessed  with  an  evil 
spirit,  and  he  besought  the  pious  hermit  to  cast  forth  the 
demon.  And  when  he  had  prayed,  the  evil  spirit  went  out 
of  her,  but  left  her  almost  inanimate.  Then  the  father, 
thinking  her  too  much  exhausted  to  be  at  once  removed,  or 
fearing  another  access  of  her  disorder,  left  her  in  the  cell  of 
the  God-fearing  recluse.  And  when  she  was  there  some 
clays,  and  he  saw  her  beauty,  he  was  overcome  with  a 
violent  passion  of  love,  and  he  lost  all  control  over  himself, 
and  forgat  God,  and  deceived  the  unfortunate  girl,  and  in 
madness  he  savagely  murdered  her,  and  threw  the  body  into 


* 


Januarys.]  S.  y antes.  435 

And  now,  as  the  sun  set  on  that  day  of  passion  and  crime, 
and  the  dark  night  settled  down  on  the  wilderness,  the 
horror  of  remorse  came  upon  him,  and  he  writhed  in  his  cave 
in  an  agony  of  shame  and  despair,  lying  with  his  face  on  the 
ground.  Then,  at  last,  haggard  and  hopeless,  he  rushed 
forth,  resolving  to  confess  his  crime  and  then  to  return  into 
the  world,  as  one  unworthy  to  aspire  to  a  close  walk  with 
God.  And  when  he  had  come  to  the  nearest  monastery,  he 
called  the  monks  together,  and  casting  himself  at  their  feet, 
sobbed  forth  his  story  of  shame.  The  good  brothers  raised 
him,  and  mingled  their  tears  with  his,  and  prayed  God  to 
have  mercy  on  the  poor  sinner,  and  to  pluck  him  as  a  brand 
from  the  burning.  After  that,  finding  no  rest,  he  went  forth, 
and  lighted,  as  evening  fell,  on  an  old  hermit  sitting  in  his 
cave,  who  offered  him  a  lodging,  and  spread  for  him  such 
food  as  he  had  to  offer.  But  James  would  eat  nothing. 
Then  the  hermit  said,  "Dear  Christian  brother,  give  me 
some  good  advice,  how  I  may  escape  evil  thoughts."  And 
when  James  heard  that,  he  uttered  a  piercing  cry,  staggered 
to  his  feet  and  fell  on  the  ground,  burying  his  face  in  his 
hands.  He  told  all  his  sin  to  the  hermit,  and  said  that  now 
he  was  about  to  return  into  the  world,  being  unworthy  to 
wear  the  habit  of  a  monk,  and  live  a  life  demanding  such 
holiness.  "When  I  was  young,  then  I  controlled  my 
passions,  now  that  I  am  old,  my  passions  have  conquered 
me.  I  cannot  raise  my  eyes,"  he  said ;  "  I  despair  of 
salvation.  I  cannot  name  the  Saving  Name ;  fire  will  fall 
from  heaven  to  consume  me,  I  am  lost !" 

Then  the  good  old  hermit  cast  his  arms  round  his  neck 
and  kissed  him,  and  said,  "  Brother,  despair  not  of  God's 
forbearance,  but  believe  that  there  is  a  place  for  repentance. 
A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart  God  will  not  despise.  Great 
is  God's  mercy,  ever  following  us,  therefore  despair  not, 
brother  I" 

* -a 


43 6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  ua«"""ya>. 

He  ceased  not  from  speaking,  till  the  black  cloud  of  des- 
pair was  rolled  away,  and  the  fallen  monk  had  the  courage 
to  hope.  Then  he  led  him  on  his  way  for  many  miles, 
earnestly  dissuading  him  from  going  into  the  world ;  and  so 
they  parted,  with  many  tears. 

So  James  sought  out  a  doleful  cave  which  had  been  used 
as  an  old  sepulchre,  and  he  hid  himself  there,  and  spent  in 
it  ten  years,  bewailing  his  crime,  only  opening  the  door 
twice  in  the  week,  to  collect  a  few  olives  on  which  to  sus- 
tain life,  and  esteeming  himself  viler  than  the  dust.  And 
when  ten  years  were  accomplished,  he  felt  that  God  was 
about  to  call  him,  therefore  he  went  to  the  nearest  city,  and 
to  the  Bishop  there,  and  besought  him,  when  he  was  dead, 
to  bury  him  in  the  old  sepulchre  in  which  he  had  undergone 
his  penance,  and  in  the  soil  he  had  moistened  with  his 
many  tears.  After  that  he  returned  to  his  cave,  and  there 
died,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 

S.  PAULINUS,  PATR.  OF  AQUILEIA. 
(a.d.  804.) 

[S.  Paulinus  died  on  Jan.  nth,  but  his  festival  is  observed  on  Jan.'  28th. 
Authorities  :  various  histories  of  his  time,  and  the  writings  of  himself  and 
Alcuin.] 

S.  Paulinus,  born  about  726,  was  one  of  the  most  illus- 
trious of  the  patriarchs  who  sat  in  the  throne  of  Aquileia, 
which  he  ascended,  about  the  year  776.  He  assisted  at  the 
council  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  782,  of  Ratisbon  in  792,  and 
of  Frankfort  in  794;  and  he  held  one  himself,  at  Friuli,  in 
791  or  796.  He  combated  a  form  of  Nestorianism  propa- 
gated by  Felix,  Bishop  of  Urgel,  and  Elipandus,  Bishop  ot 
Toledo,  with  such  success  that  their  heresy  made  no  head- 
way in  the  West  In  802,  S.  Paulinus  assembled  a  council 
at  Altino.     He  died  on  the  nth  Jan.,  804. 

* 


CHARLEMAGNE   AND   S.    LOUIS. 
After  a  Picture  in  the  Palais  de  Justice,  Paris,  wrongly  attributed  to  Van  Eyck. 


Jan.,  p.  436.] 


[Jan.  28. 


* — £< 

January^.]  B.   Charlemagne.  437 

B.  CHARLEMAGNE,  EMP. 
(a.d.  814.) 

[Inserted  in  many  French,  German,  and  Belgian  Martyrologies.  He  was 
canonized  by  the  Anti-pope  Paschal  III.  The  life  of  this  emperor,  written 
by  his  secretary  Eginhart,  together  with  the  numerous  historical  accounts 
of  his  transactions,  supply  abundant  material  for  his  life.] 

The  public  life  of  the  Emperor  Charlemagne  belongs  to 
the  domain  of  secular  history,  rather  than  to  hagiology.  We 
shall  confine  ourselves,  in  this  notice,  to  those  acts  which 
have  obtained  for  him  a  place  in  the  Kalendar  of  the 
Church. 

Charlemagne,  son  of  King  Pepin,  was  born  in  742,  and 
was  crowned  king  of  France  in  768.  In  the  early  years  of 
his  reign  he  was  guilty  of  grave  moral  faults,  which  he  deeply 
deplored  in  his  after  life.  He  comes  before  us  as  a  man 
penetrated  with  a  strong  sense  of  religious  responsibility,  and 
of  faith  in  the  divine  mission  of  the  Church.  In  the  midst 
of  his  wars,  the  spread  of  the  true  faith,  and  the  advance- 
ment of  learning,  were  never  absent  from  his  mind.  He  was 
zealous  in  reforming  the  monasteries,  and  for  the  sake  of  uni- 
formity, he  introduced  into  them  the  rule  of  S.  Benedict. 
For  the  discipline  of  the  clergy,  he  procured  the  convention 
of  many  synods,  in  which  were  drawn  up  his  famous  Capitulars. 
He  meditated  assiduously  on  the  Scriptures,  assisted  at  the 
divine  office,  even  that  of  midnight,  if  possible ;  had  good 
books  read  to  him  at  table,  and  took  but  one  meal  a  day. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two,  at  Aix-le-Chapelle,  in  814, 
and  was  there  buried.  His  tomb  was  opened  in  1165.  The 
body  was  found,  not  reclining  in  his  coffin,  as  is  the  usual 
fashion  of  the  dead,  but  seated  on  his  throne  as  one  alive, 
clothed  in  the  imperial  robes,  bearing  the  sceptre  in  his  hand, 
and  on  his  knees  a  copy  of  the  Gospels.  On  his  fleshless  brow 
was  the  crown,  the  imperial  mantle  covered  his  shoulders, 

— * 


*- 


-* 


438 


Lives  of  the  Saints.  u*n"ary38. 


the  sword  Joyeuse  was  by  his  side,  and  the  pilgrim's  pouch, 
which  he  had  borne  always  while  living,  was  still  fastened  to 
to  his  girdle.  His  skull  and  throne  and  hunting  horn  are 
preserved  in  the  sacristy  at  Aix. 


ba^iibui  ol"  Vauquislicd  baious  by  coromaud  of  Charlemagne 

of  ibe   litii  Century  in  Uie  Burgundy  Library  m  B.- 


a  .^..niuiure 


*" 


"* 


* — * 

January  a9]  .S.S.  Valerius,  Sabinian  &  Sabina.   439 


January  29. 

S.  Valerius,  B.  of  Treves,  endqfist.  cent. 

S.  Constantius,  B.M.  at  Perugia,  between  a.d.  161 — 8. 

SS.  Sabinian,  M.,  and  Sabina,  V.,  at  Troyes,  in  France,  circ.  a.d.  275. 

SS.  Papias  and  Maurus,  MM.,  at  Rome,  circ.  a.d.  303. 

S.  Gildas  the  Wise,  Ab.  in  Brittany,  6tk  cent. 

S.  Sulpicius  Severus,  B.  of  Bourges,  a.d.  591. 

S.  Baculus,  B.  of  Sorrento,  circ.  a.d.  679. 

S.  Peter  Thomasius,  Latin  Patr.  of  Constantinople,  a.d.  1366. 

S.  Francis  of  Sales,  B.  of  Geneva,  a.d.  1622. 

S.   VALERIUS,   B.    OF  TREVES. 

(END  OF  1ST  CENT.) 
[There  are  many  Saints  of  this  name.  This  S.  Valerius  appears  in 
very  many  of  the  most  ancient  Martyrologies.  His  Acts,  together  with 
those  of  SS.  Eucher  and  Maternus,  his  companions,  was  written  by  a 
certain  Goldscher,  of  uncertain  date,  but  ancient ;  for  it  is  quoted  by 
Heriger,  Ab.  Lobie,  who  died  1007.  Goldscher  says  that  he  collected 
the  accounts  he  found  of  Valerius  and  his  companions  from  various 
ancient  chronicles.] 

UCHER,  Valerius,  and  Maternus,  according  to 

legend  wholly  unreliable,  were  three  disciples  of 

S.  Peter,  and  were  sent  by  him  to  preach  the 

Gospel  in  Gaul.     The  first  was  consecrated  by 

him  bishop,  the  second,  deacon,  and  Maternus,  sub-deacon. 

S.  Eucher  fixed  his  see  at  Treves,  then  an  important  city. 

After  his  death  Valerius  was  elevated  to  the  episcopate,  and 

preached  the  word  of  God  with  so  much  zeal,  that  many 

were  added  to  the  Church.    On  his  death,  he  was  succeeded 

by  S.  Maternus. 

SS.   SABINIAN,   M.,   AND  SABINA,  V. 

(about  a.d.  275.) 

[Commemorated  in  some  churches  on  Jan.  25th,  in  others  on  Jan.  29th, 

June  8th,  Aug.  29th,  Sept.   5th ;   sometimes  together,  and  sometimes 

severally.     Authorities  :  two  ancient  lives  of  S.  Sabinian,  and  one  of  S. 

Sabina,  published  by  Bollandus.  ] 

SS.  Sabinian  and  Sabina  were  brother  and  sister,  natives 
of  Samos.    Sabinian's  soul  having  been  touched  by  Christian 

* * 


* * 

44°  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January »» 

teaching,  he  left  his  native  island,  and  coming  to  Gaul  reached 
Troyes,  where  he  fell  in  with  Christians,  and  he  was  there 
baptized  in  the  river  Seine.  It  is  said  that  his  staff,  which 
he  had  driven  into  the  bank,  as  he  went  down  into  the  water, 
on  his  return  put  forth  leaves  and  flowered. 

In  the  reign  of  Aurelian  he  was  brought  before  the  em- 
peror, then  at  Vienne  in  Gaul,  and  was  cruelly  tormented, 
by  being  seated  on  a  heated  bench  of  iron,  and  a  red-hot 
helmet  was  placed  on  his  head.  He  was  afterwards  exe- 
cuted with  the  sword.  His  sister  Sabina,  who  had  followed 
him,  arrived  at  Troyes  after  his  martyrdom.  She  was  there 
baptized,  spent  a  holy  life,  and  died  a  virgin. 


S.  GILDAS  THE  WISE,  AB.,  IN  BRITTANY. 
(a.d.  570.) 

[There  were  several  British  saints  of  this  name,  but  all  were  insig- 
nificant, with  the  exception  of  the  famous  author,  whose  writings  are 
extant.  His  life  was  written  by  Caradoc  of  Llancarvan,  about  1150; 
another  and  independent  life  is  by  an  anonymous  monk  of  Rhuys,  some- 
what earlier.  Both  may  be  found  edited  by  the  Rev.  Hugh  Williams  in 
the  "  Gildas"  published  by  the  Cymmrodorion  Society.] 

S.  Gildas,  surnamed  the  Wise,  was  born  in  North-Britain 
near  the  Clyde,  in  the  kingdom  of  which  Dumbarton  was 
the  capital.  His  father  was  of  princely  birth ;  the  eldest 
son,  Howel,  was  a  great  warrior,  who,  succeeding  his  father 
in  the  principality,  was  slain  by  King  Arthur.  Mailoc, 
another  son,  was  brought  up  to  the  religious  life.  Two 
other  brothers,  and  their  sister,  Peteona,  in  like  manner  left 
the  world,  and  choosing  a  retired  place  in  the  furthest  ex- 
tremity of  that  country,  built  themselves  separate  oratories, 
where,  by  watching,  fasting,  and  fervent  prayer,  they  con- 
tinually  strove  to  reach  their  heavenly  country.      As  to 

* ■ * 


January  29.]  5".     GUddS    tke      WtSC  44  I 

Gildas,  we  learn  from  his  own  writings  that  he  was  born  in 
the  year  of  the  famous  victory  gained  over  the  Saxons  by 
Aurelius  Ambrosius  at  Mount  Badon,  but  the  date  as  well 
as  the  site  of  this  battle  have  been  hotly  disputed.  He  was, 
when  a  child,  committed  by  his  parents  to  the  care  of  S. 
Iltut,  who  brought  him  up  in  his  monastery  of  Llan-Iltut  in 
Glamorganshire,  instructing  him  in  the  divine  Scriptures,  and 
in  the  liberal  arts.  These  divine  meditations  wonderfully 
increased  his  faith  and  love  of  heavenly  things,  and  influ- 
enced in  such  a  manner  the  whole  conduct  of  his  life,  that 
from  his  very  youth  he  attained  to  great  perfection  and  was 
favoured  with  the  gift  of  miracles.  From  S.  Iltut's  school, 
where  he  had  for  companions  S.  Samson  and  S.  Paul  of 
Leon,  both  of  whom  were  afterwards  illustrious  prelates, 
he  went  over  into  Ireland,  for  his  further  improvement  in 
virtue  and  learning,  among  the  disciples  of  S.  Patrick.  He 
had  several  children,  the  most  famous  of  whom  was  S.  Aidan, 
Bishop  of  Ferns.  Another  was  Cennydd,  or  Keneth,  who 
also  left  issue.  The  name  of  his  wife  is  unrecorded.  After 
Gildas  was  ordained  priest  he  went  for  a  short  time  to  the 
northern  parts  of  Britain,  but  he  was  not  there  long  enough 
to  leave  a  lasting  impress,  and  he  returned  to  South  Wales 
in  529,  and  founded  a  monastery  at  Rhuys  on  a  peninsula 
that  shuts  off  the  inland  sea  of  Morbihan  from  the  Atlantic. 
This  was  on  his  way  home  after  a  visit  to  Rome.  In  527 
he  was  again  in  South  Wales,  and  took  charge  of  the 
monastery  of  Llancarfan  from  528  to  529.  Then  he  went 
to  Glastonbury,  but  returned  to  Rhuys  in  544.  Thence 
he  wrote  his  scurrilous  book,  "De  Exidis  Britannia;,"  in 
which  he  so  savagely  attacked  the  native  princes,  that  he 
made  Wales  too  hot  for  his  sons  and  brothers,  and  they 
were  constrained  to  fly.  In  547  broke  out  the  yellow 
plague  in  Britain,  and  S.  Cadoc  came  to  Brittany  from 
Wales,  and  Gildas  recommended    him   a   site   somewhat 

4i ._,£ 


*- 


44 2  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  29. 

similar  to  that  of  Rhuys  on  which  to  settle.  In  Brittany 
he  got  at  enmity  with  the  Prince  Conmore,  who  was,  in 
fact,  an  usurper,  and  he  got  mixed  up  in  a  quarrel  between 
the  prince  and  his  wife,  whom  Gildas  befriended  against 
her  husband's  violence.  Gildas  had  a  cell  under  a  rock 
on  the  Blavet,  to  which  he  often  retired,  and  which  is  still 
shown.1  In  565  he  was  invited  to  Ireland  by  Ainmeric, 
the  king,  to  regulate  Church  matters,  as  Christianity  had 
lapsed  into  partial  paganism  after  the  death  of  S.  Patrick. 
He  went,  and  returned  to  Rhuys  in  567,  and  died  there 
in  570  at  the  age  of  about  ninety-four.  His  body  was 
placed  in  a  boat  and  committed  to  the  waves,  but  eventu- 
ally it  was  recovered.  In  art  he  is  represented  with  a 
snarling  dog  at  his  side. 


S.  SULPICIUS  SEVERUS,  B.  OF  BOURGES. 
(a.d.  591.) 

[There  is  great  confusion  caused  by  there  having  been  so  many  archbishops 
of  this  name.  There  was  a  Sulpicius  the  Pious,  Archbishop  of  Bourges 
about  644;  commemorated  on  Jan.  17th.  There  was  also  Sulpicius  Severus, 
the  disciple  of  S.  Martin,  whose  life  Butler  gives  on  this  day,  and 
who  is  the  famous  historian,  but  there  seems  to  be  no  authority  for  num- 
bering him  with  the  Saints.  Butler  also  says  that  there  were  four  Sulpicii, 
Archbishops  of  Bourges,  but  this  seems  to  be  a  mistake,  for  Bollandus 
gives  only  two,  Sulpicius  the  Pious  and  Sulpicius  Severus.] 

Little  of  the  acts  of  this  Saint  is  known,  and  he  is  here 
mentioned  solely  to  enable  the  reader  to  distinguish  the 
Saint  of  this  name  from  the  historian,  and  also  from  his 
successor  Sulpicius  the  Pious. 

1  He  is  said  to  have  glazed  the  east  window  of  his  oratory  with  a  pane  of  as 
hitherto  unheard  of  size. 

gl £, 


* * 

January  29.]  S.    FrCMltis    of  SdleS.  443 


S.  FRANCIS  OF  SALES,  B.C.  OF  GENEVA. 
(a.d.  1622.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.  Beatified,  A.D.  1661,  canonized  A.D.  1665.  Jan. 
29th  is  the  day  of  the  translation  of  his  body  to  Annecy ;  he  died  on  Holy 
Innocents'  Day.  Authorities :  A  life  by  his  nephew,  Charles  Auguste  de 
Sales,  who  succeeded  his  uncle  as  Bishop  of  Geneva,  1634.  Before  that, 
P.  Lucis  de  la  Riviere  had  written  a  life,  1624.  There  are  several  others 
of  less  value,  by  Dom  Dian  de  S.  Francois,  P.  Philibert  de  Bonneville,  De 
Marpas,  Bishop  of  Le  Puy.  J.  P.  Camus,  intimate  with  Francis,  gave 
valuable  notes  in  his  "  1' Esprit  de  S.  Francois  de  Sales,"  Paris,  1641. 
More  valuable  still  is  "S.  Francois  de  Sales,  peint  par  les  Dames  de  la 
Visitation,"  and  "  Annee  de  la  Visitation,"  containing  a  diary  of  all  the 
founder  did  and  much  that  he  said,  when  visiting  the  Order.  A  life  by 
Marsollier  has  been  most  frequently  reprinted  and  translated,  but  is  of  no 
value  ;  it  consists  largely  of  matter  drawn  out  of  the  author's  own  imagina- 
tion. The  best  modern  life  is  by  Hamose.  A  life  by  Ormsby,  and  "  The 
Mission  of  S.  Francis  of  Sales  in  the  Chablais,"  by  Lady  Herbert,  are 
purely  eulogistic,  everything  that  did  not  conduce  to  a  high  pictorial 
effect  of  a  saint  bathed  in  light  is  suppressed  or  perverted.  A  little 
clearer  light  was  let  in  on  his  story  by  M.  Nevins  in  ' '  The  Persecutions 
of  the  Protestants  by  S.  Francis  de  Sales,"  1880,  and  by  L.  W.  Bacon  in 
"Two  Sides  of  a  Saint"  in  "  Macmillan's  Magazine  "  for  1878.  This 
latter  was  answered  and  a  refutation  attempted  by  the  Rev.  H.  B.  Mackey 
in  "  Four  Essays  on  the  Life  and  Writings  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales,"  1883. 
No  just  historic  appreciation  of  the  work  of  S.  Francis  in  the  Chablais  can 
be  passed  without  reference  to  Gaberel,  "Hist,  de  l'Eglise  de  Geneve," 
1855-62.  Gaberel  may  be  prejudiced,  as  a  Calvinist,  against  Francis,  but 
he  is  strictly  honest  as  a  historian,  and  gives  his  authorities  for  every 
statement.  He  is  vastly  more  trustworthy  than  the  high-flown  panegyrists 
of  the  Saint.] 

S.  Francis  of  Sales  was  the  eldest  son  of  one  of  the 
principal  nobles  of  Savoy, — John,  Lord  of  Sales,  of  Boisy, 
of  Balleyson,  and  of  Ville-Roget,  usually  styled  by  the  second 
of  these  titles.  His  mother,  Frances,  daughter  of  the  Lord 
of  La  Thuille  and  of  Vallieres,  came  of  no  less  noble  stock. 
He  had  many  brothers  and  sisters,  of  whom  Louis,  Lord  of 
La  Thuille,  was  the  father  of  Charles  Augustus,  the  pious 
biographer  of  the  Saint. ,  Francis  was  born  Aug.  21st,  1567. 

4t- . % 


444  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  29. 

He  was  sent  in  early  childhood  to  the  college  of  Annecy, 
where  he  was  trained  in  all  the  accomplishments  which  in 
those  days  were  considered  essential  to  the  rank  of  a  young 
noble.  He  was  five  years  at  the  college  of  Annecy.  At 
the  age  of  eleven,  he  entreated  permission  of  his  father 
to  take  the  tonsure,  having  at  that  early  age  decided  to 
adopt  the  ecclesiastical  life.  M.  de  Boisy  by  no  means 
desired  this,  for  his  ambition  was,  that  his  eldest  son  should 
succeed  him  as  the  head  of  the  family,  and  distinguish  him- 
self in  political  life;  but,  with  that  sort  of  management 
which  men  of  great  experience  often  prefer  to  violent 
measures,  he  permitted  him  to  do  as  he  pleased.  The  old 
lord  knew  that  the  tonsure  did  not  bind  his  son  finally  to 
become  an  ecclesiastic ;  and  he  depended  on  the  changes 
to  which  a  young  man's  mind  is  subject,  to  dissipate  this 
predilection. 

In  1578  he  was  sent  to  pursue  his  studies  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Paris,  and  was  given  a  worthy  priest  as  tutor  to  see 
that  he  did  not  get  into  scrapes,  nor  form  undesirable 
acquaintanceships.  He  studied  rhetoric,  philosophy,  and 
religion  under  the  Jesuits,  and  it  was  due  to  their  early 
teaching  that  some  of  the  worst  acts  of  his  life  were  com- 
mitted. He  was  about  the  age  of  seventeen,  when  the  idea 
took  possession  of  his  mind,  that  he  was  not  in  a  state  of 
grace,  and  that  the  face  of  God  was  turned  away  from  him. 
In  his  agony  of  mental  distress  he  prayed,  "Lord  if  I  may 
not  see  Thee  hereafter,  yet,  oh  grant,  that  I  may  never 
blaspheme  Thee  ! "  He  seems,  if  it  were  possible,  to  have 
suffered  the  very  anguish  of  hell,  without  the  loss  of  the 
love  of  God.  During  the  six  weeks  this  shadow  lay  upon 
him,  he  could  hardly  eat  or  sleep,  he  wasted  to  a  skeleton, 
and  his  friends  became  greatly  alarmed  for  his  health.  At 
length,  this  great  cross  disappeared  as  suddenly  as  it  came. 
He  one  day  entered  the  church  of  S.  Etienne  des  Gres  and 

* — ifi 


*— -* 

January  29.]  S.  Francis  of  Sales.  445 

knelt  down  before  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  His 
eye  was  caught  by  a  tablet  on  the  wall,  on  which  was 
inscribed  the  famous  prayer  of  S.  Bernard,  called  the 
Memorare.  He  repeated  it  with  great  emotion;  and  im- 
plored that,  through  the  intercession  of  Mary,  it  might 
please  God  to  restore  his  peace  of  mind.  He  also  made  a 
vow  of  perpetual  chastity.  The  dark  thoughts  which  had 
brooded  over  his  soul  for  many  weeks  now  sped  away,  and 
the  sun  of  God's  favour  shone  on  it  and  warmed  it  once 
more.  He  came  out  of  the  church  in  that  sweet  and  pro- 
found calmness  of  mind  which  he  never  afterwards  lost. 
Considering  what  he  was  to  become  in  after  life,  the  guide 
and  comforter  of  such  a  multitude  of  souls,  it  was  necessary, 
in  order  to  give  him  his  tender  overflowing  sympathy,  that 
he  should  have  sounded  the  most  unusual  depths  of  human 
agony. 

After  having  spent  five  years  at  Paris,  when  not  yet  aged 
seventeen,  he  was  sent  to  Padua,  where  he  took  his  degree 
as  Doctor  of  Laws.  His  education  being  now  considered 
complete,  he  returned  home,  where  his  father  held  out  to 
him  the  prospect  of  becoming  an  avocat  to  the  senate  at 
Chambery.  Moreover,  he  announced  to  him  that  he  had 
found  a  charming  girl,  an  heiress,  aged  eighteen,  Mile,  de 
Vezy,  to  whom  he  desired  to  have  him  united.  Francis 
said  not  a  word  about  his  vow,  made  a  pretence  of  falling 
in  with  his  father's  plans,  and  rode  over  to  the  Chateau  de 
Ve'zy  and  had  an  interview.  She  was  a  good-looking  girl, 
and  Francis  was  particularly  attentive  and  civil.  He  rode 
over  several  times  after  that  and  prosecuted  his  attentions. 
Marsollier,  who  wrote  the  life  of  S.  Francis  in  1700,  seventy- 
eight  years  after  the  death  of  this  hero,  asserts  that  Francis 
gave  no  encouragement  to  the  young  lady.  But  this  was 
certainly  not  the  case.  His  conduct  towards  the  young 
lady  was  insincere  and  cruel. 

*- ■ — — , g, 


446  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January 29. 

Meanwhile,  doubtless  with  him  privy  to  it,  though  it  is 
pretended — it  is  mere  pretence — that  he  knew  nothing 
about  it,  private  negotiations  were  being  carried  on  with 
the  Pope  through  a  cousin,  Louis,  Canon  of  Geneva, 
to  obtain  for  Francis  the  Deanery  that  was  then  vacant, 
the  most  brilliant  and  well-paid  ecclesiastical  sinecure  in 
the  diocese.  And  a  sinecure  it  was,  for  Geneva  and  its 
Cathedral  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Calvinists,  whereas 
the  revenues  were  derived  from  lands  outside  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  town.  Consequently  Francis  as  dean  would 
pocket  a  large  revenue,  and  have  no  duties  to  discharge 
therefore.  Not  till  the  Papal  bull  was  in  his  hand  did 
Francis  break  to  his  parents  the  tidings  that  he  had,  as  a 
boy,  vowed  celibacy,  and  that  he  purposed  taking  Holy 
Orders.  The  disappointment  of  his  parents  was  great. 
He  had  deceived  and  tricked  them.  He  was  now  twenty- 
six,  and  yet  had  all  the  timorousness  of  a  green  girl,  and 
had  shrunk  from  a  scene  with  his  father  till  the  last 
moment,  and  till  he  had  procured  the  splendid  appoint- 
ment in  the  Church  which  he  hoped  would  disarm  his 
father's  opposition.  And  as  to  the  vow  he  pleaded,  his 
parents  represented  to  him  that  as  it  was  taken  when  he 
was  a  silly  boy  in  his  teens,  a  single  word  of  the  Bishop 
of  Geneva  would  release  him  from  its  obligation — it  did 
not  even  need  to  be  referred  to  the  Pope.  M.  de  Boisy 
was  highly  incensed.  He  had  lavished  money  on  his  son's 
education  in  law,  and  to  take  his  own  place  in  the  ancestral 
chateau  some  day,  and  continue  the  family.  But  Francis 
was  obdurate,  and  M.  de  Boisy  had  to  submit. 

On  December  18th,  1593,  Francis  was  ordained  priest. 
At  this  time  the  Bishop  of  Geneva  received  an  appeal  from 
the  Duke  of  Savoy  to  send  missionaries  into  the  Chablais. 
This  was  a  portion  of  the  Duchy  to  the  south  of  the  Lake 
of  Geneva,  which  had  been  forcibly  seized  on  by  the  canton 

* ■ * 


Igl — — * 

January  29.]  S.  Francis  of  Sales.  447 

of  Berne,  and  Catholicism  had  been  ruthlessly  suppressed 
therein,  the  priests  expelled,  the  churches  gutted,  and 
preachers  installed  in  the  cure  of  souls  throughout  the 
district.  Thonon  was  the  capital.  Fifty-seven  years  had 
elapsed,  and  by  means  of  iron  repression  the  people  had 
grown  up  in  heresy  or  indifference,  and  a  good  many  had 
lapsed  into  blank  unbelief. 

Now  the  Chablais  had  been  recovered  in  1564  by  the 
treaty  of  Nyon,  with  the  stipulation  made  by  the  Bernese 
that  the  Reformed  religion  therein  should  not  only  be  left 
unmolested,  but  should  be  taken  under  the  protection  of  the 
Prince.  But  on  the  death  of  his  father,  Charles  Emmanuel 
became  Duke,  and  he  did  all  that  lay  in  his  power  to  re- 
cover revolted  Geneva,  that  likewise  had  pertained  to  the 
Duchy.  In  1589  war  broke  out  between  the  Genevese  and 
the  Duke,  in  the  course  of  which  Thonon  was  attacked 
and  forced  to  surrender  to  the  Genevese  and  their  allies. 
Peace  was,  however,  made  in  1594,  when  the  treaty  of 
Nyon  was  reaffirmed.  Charles  Emmanuel,  regardless  of 
his  oath,  from  which  he  knew  that  he  could  be  dispensed 
by  the  Pope,  was  now  resolved  on  the  reconversion  of  the 
province,  and  for  this  purpose  appealed  to  the  Bishop  of 
Geneva.  Francis  at  once  undertook  the  task,  from  which 
others  shrank.  "  My  Lord,  if  you  think  me  capable  and 
wyorthy  of  this  mission,  I  undertake  it  with  joy.  At  thy 
word  will  I  let  down  my  net ! "  The  Bishop  gratefully 
accepted  the  generous  offer,  and  prepared  to  do  all  for 
Francis  that  lay  in  his  power  to  ensure  his  success. 

Far  different,  however,  was  the  scene  in  the  castle  of 
Sales,  when  the  fatal  news  became  known.  M.  de  Boisy 
flew  to  Annecy,  and  overwhelmed  Francis  with  entreaties 
and  reproaches.  "  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my 
Father's  business,"  was  the  reply  of  the  Saint ;  then  throw- 
ing himself  at  his  father's  feet,  he  besought  his  consent  and 

* * 


* * 

44§  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [January 39. 

his  blessing.  M.  de  Boisy  replied,  "  As  to  consenting  to 
this  mad  undertaking,  I  cannot  do  it.  It  is  of  no  use  ask- 
ing me ; "  and  so  saying,  the  poor  old  man  left  the  palace, 
and  returned  in  tears  to  his  castle,  there  to  be  soothed,  but 
not  consoled,  by  the  stronger  faith  of  his  wife. 

On  Sept.  9th,  1594,  Francis,  accompanied  by  his  cousin, 
Louis,  started  on  his  evangelical  mission.  It  was  necessary 
to  pass  by  the  castle  of  Sales,  when  Francis  had  a  fresh  battle 
to  fight  with  his  family.  "The  Chateau  of  Sales,"  writes  a 
contemporary  of  our  Saint,  "  was  at  that  time  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in  Savoy,  situated  at  the  foot  of  mount  Ferreo, 
and  surrounded  with  lovely  gardens  and  shrubberies.  A 
fountain  in  the  centre,  and  a  lake  on  one  side,  added  to  its 
charms."  Yet  all  this  Francis  seems  to  have  left  without  a 
thought  or  even  a  regret.  During  their  visit,  the  cousins 
determined  to  spend  a  couple  of  days  in  retreat.  The  even- 
ing of  the  second  day,  Francis  went  to  take  leave  of  his 
mother.  Her  conduct  throughout  had  been  admirable. 
This  terrible  parting  over,  Francis  went  back  to  the  chapel 
where,  as  a  child,  he  had  so  often  knelt  with  that  tender 
mother  before  the  altar  and  repeated,  evening  after  evening, 
his  childish  prayers,  and  there  the  noble  sacrifice  of  his 
whole  future  life  to  God  was  consummated  and  accepted. 
His  natural  sorrow  quenched  in  the  Sacred  Presence, 
P'rancis  spent  the  rest  of  the  night  in  prayer,  for  the  success 
of  his  mission ;  and  the  next  morning  the  cousins  started  at 
break  of  day,  avoiding  all  further  leave-takings ;  and  with- 
out either  servants  or  provisions  ;  his  father  having  expressly 
forbidden  any  assistance  being  given  to  them,  hoping  there- 
by to  disgust  them  of  their  enterprise.  So,  in  poverty,  S. 
Francis  left  his  ancestral  home.  Nine  years  afterwards, 
writing  to  the  Pope,  he  says:  "On  arriving  in  the  Chablais, 
nothing  but  heart-breaking  sights  met  our  eyes.  Out  of 
sixty-five  parishes,  excepting  a  few  officers  of  the  Duke's 

* 


~£M£.LU- 


S.    FRANCIS   OF   SALES. 


Jan.,  p.  448,] 


[Jan.  29. 


* * 

January  29.]  S.  Francis  of  Sales.  449 

garrisons,  there  were  scarcely  fifty  Catholics.  The  churches 
were  desecrated  or  destroyed,  and  the  cross  everywhere 
broken  down." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  give  an  idea  of  the  fury  of  the 
Protestants  of  Thonon  when  they  heard  of  the  mission  of 
the  two  cousins.  The  news  flew  to  Geneva,  where  a  public 
meeting  was  instantly  held  to  declare  that  any  one  was  at 
liberty  to  take  the  lives  of  the  two  Papists  who  had  dared 
to  undertake  the  mission ;  some  of  the  Protestants  present, 
so  it  was  reported,  swore  that  they  themselves  would  be  their 
assassins.  M.  de  Boisy  was  alarmed  when  news  reached 
him  that  the  life  of  his  son  was  menaced,  and  he  sent  his 
old  and  faithful  servant,  George  Roland,  with  positive 
orders  to  bring  Francis  back ;  but  the  Saint  was  not  to  be 
moved ;  he,  however,  persuaded  his  cousin,  Louis,  to  go 
back  for  a  short  while,  in  order  to  calm  the  anxiety  of  his 
family,  whilst  he  himself  remained  to  prosecute  his  great 
work.  Louis  obeyed,  but  soon  returned,  and  the  two  earnest 
missioners  laboured  indefatigably  together  to  advance  the 
Gospel.  Francis  went  on  foot  among  the  villages,  his  stick, 
his  breviary,  and  his  Bible  being  his  sole  companions, 
Louis  being  sent  into  other  parts  of  the  province. 

That  Calvinist  zealots  had  bound  themselves  by  an  oath 
to  slay  Francis  is  a  mere  fiction.  The  transactions  of  the 
Conference  of  Pastors,  at  which  this  plot  was  hatched,  as 
is  pretended,  are  extant,  and  not  a  trace  of  such  a  decision 
is  to  be  found  in  them. 

Actually,  Francis  ran  no  risks  whatever.  He  and  his 
cousin  were  very  comfortably  lodged  in  the  castle  of 
Allinges,  three  short  miles  from  Thonon,  with  his  relative, 
the  Baron  d'Hermance,  who  was  Governor,  and  had  a 
strong  garrison  under  him.  But  in  the  eulogistic  lives  of 
the  Saint  these  three  short  miles  are  expanded  into 
a  wild  and  long  journey,  costing  vast   fatigue,  in  which 

vol.  1.                                                                           29 
* * 


•J. X 

450  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January 29. 

the  pangs  of  hunger  and  thirst  had  to  be  constantly 
endured. 

The  President  Favre  wrote  to  Francis:  "  My  only  trouble 
is  that  your  good  father  worries  from  fear  of  harm  coming 
to  you,  and  I  can  hardly  persuade  him  that  you  are  per- 
fectly safe,  and  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  occasion  to 
suspect  danger  for  you.  I  comfort  him  all  I  can,  often 
protesting  that  I  never  would  have  left  you  if  I  had  per- 
ceived that  the  smallest  danger  was  to  be  feared."  Various 
attempts  at  assassination  are  related  in  the  biographies  and 
in  the  "  Bull  of  Canonization."  They  are  mere  fictions. 
The  Saint  never  once  refers  to  any  such  in  his  letters. 
M.  de  Boisy  sent  George  Roland  to  Francis  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year  1595,  and  to  the  records  of  this  faith- 
ful servant,  who  from  that  hour  never  left  him,  we  are 
mainly  indebted  for  the  details  of  the  most  interesting 
personal  adventures  which  befell  the  Saint ;  he  also  knew 
nothing  of  the  terrible  dangers  that  beset  Francis.  But 
a  convert,  after  many  years,  did  assert  on  oath  that  he  had 
vowed  to  murder  Francis  and  carry  his  head  to  Geneva, 
and  that  he  had  thrice  waylaid  the  Saint  to  accomplish  his 
purpose,  and  that  each  time  his  gun  had  missed  fire,  or 
else  Francis  had  become  invisible.  That  the  whole  con- 
fession was  a  lie  can  admit  of  small  doubt. 

The  morning  after  his  arrival  at  Allinges,  Francis  started 
for  Thonon ;  as  he  did  so,  the  governor,  pointing  to  his 
artillery,  remarked  significantly  to  him  :  "  If  the  Hugue- 
nots over  there  will  give  you  a  hearing,  I  hope  we  shall 
have  no  need  to  use  these  guns."  Advancing  from  his 
fortified  base,  Francis  presented  himself  to  the  magistrates 
of  Thonon  with  letters  from  the  Duke,  commanding  them 
to  render  all  possible  services  to  the  missionaries,  to  attend 
upon  their  preaching,  and  warning  them  that  any  injury 
offered  to  the  priests  would  be  avenged  on  the  whole  city 

* 


January  29.]  S.  Francis  of  Sales.  45 1 

of  Thonon.  He  was  granted  the  church  of  S.  Hippolyte, 
in  which  he  might  occupy  the  pulpit — but  not  say  mass. 
Here  day  by  day  he  preached,  but  only  a  handful  of 
listeners  came.  The  people  had  been  so  glutted  with 
sermons  by  their  pastors,  that  they  had  lost  all  zest  for 
them,  even  when  controversial.  Francis  bewailed  his  dis- 
appointment in  his  letters.  "We  had  hoped  that  some 
would  come  to  hear  us  either  out  of  curiosity  or  out  of 
some  lingering  love  for  the  old  religion.  But  they  have 
all  resolved,  with  mutual  exhortations,  not  to  do  so."  Later 
on  he  wrote  :  "  I  have  been  preaching  at  Thonon  now  seven 
months  on  every  holiday  and  often  in  the  week  besides.  I 
have  never  been  heard  by  more  than  three  or  four  of  the 
Huguenots,  and  these  came  only  four  or  five  times." 

But  it  is  possible  enough  that  he  expected  a  great  deal 
more  than  he  achieved,  and  was  disposed  to  under-rate  his 
success — not  so  much  out  of  humility,  as  in  order  to  force 
the  hand  of  the  Duke  to  use  compulsion  and  bribery. 

Protestantism  in  its  most  chill  form  had  been  forced  on 
the  people,  who  had  not  desired  it.  Those  who  were  over 
sixty  years  old  must  have  hailed  with  joy  the  prospect  of 
a  return  to  the  faith  of  their  fathers  and  of  their  childhood. 
Without  any  previous  preparation,  every  religious  idea  in 
which  they  had  been  reared  was  reversed.  The  old  Catho- 
lic religion  was  one  of  worship.  Now  worship  was  practi- 
cally abolished,  and  preaching  set  up  in  its  place.  The 
altars  were  destroyed,  men  were  required  to  wear  their 
hats  in  church,  and  to  sit  when  the  pastor  was  putting  up 
prayer.  Rude  and  simple  minds  could  not  understand  the 
complete  transformation  of  religion,  and  they  detested  the 
change.  There  was,  however,  no  help  for  it ;  they  must 
submit,  attend  the  preachings,  or  have  their  goods  con- 
fiscated and  be  banished  the  land.  At  the  time  of  the 
wrecking  of  the  churches  and  the  furious  polemic  against 

*— * 


* — * 

452  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  29. 

everything  the  people  had  been  taught  to  believe  and  hold 
sacred,  there  must  have  been  many  households  where  the 
parents  groaned  under  the  gray  and  deadening  religion  of 
negations  with  which  they  were  oppressed,  and  who  must 
have  brought  up  their  children  to  hate  the  established 
Calvinism  and  to  pray  for  the  return  to  a  better  time. 

But  the  bulk  of  those  who  had  grown  up  under  the 
Calvinist  regime  were  well  indoctrinated  in  anti-Catholic 
controversy,  and  steeped  in  prejudice,  till  it  had  penetrated 
to  heart  and  soul.  There  would  be  a  third  class,  and  that 
by  far  the  largest,  of  those  who  had  no  love  for  Calvin- 
ism— indeed  there  was  nothing  that  anyone  could  love  in 
it — but  had  no  convictions  in  the  direction  of  Catholicism, 
and  who  would  be  guided  by  their  material  interests,  but 
who,  to  save  their  faces,  pretended  to  be  turned  by  the 
arguments  of  the  Apostle  Francis.  Consequently  we  have 
two  classes  that  would  welcome  or  conform  to  a  change, 
and  one  only  comprising  such  as  were  sincere  zealots,  hating 
most  articles  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  utterly  detesting 
every  symbol  and  ceremony  of  the  Catholic  religion. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1595,  Francis  began  to 
issue  a  short,  clear,  and  simple  exposition  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  Church,  written  on  broadsides  for  distribution. 
These  were  widely  disseminated  and  as  widely  read.  He 
and  his  cousin  Louis  travelled  over  the  country  in  all 
weathers,  and  at  all  seasons,  exhorting,  explaining,  per- 
suading. One  night,  15th  December,  being  on  an  expedi- 
tion of  this  kind,  night  came  on  suddenly ;  the  earth  was 
covered  with  snow,  and  he  found  himself  alone  in  a  large 
wood  infested  with  wolves.  Afraid  of  being  devoured,  he 
climbed  up  into  a  tree  to  pass  the  night ;  and  then,  lest  he 
should  fall  asleep  and  drop  from  the  branch,  he  tied  himself 
with  his  leathern  girdle  to  the  stem.  The  next  morning 
some  peasants  from  a  neighbouring  village  found  him  there, 

# * 


January  29.]  S.  Francis  of  Sales.  453 

nearly  frozen  with  cold,  and  unable  to  move.  They  carried 
him  to  their  home,  gently  chafed  his  numbed  limbs,  and 
brought  him  back  to  warmth  and  consciousness.  Their 
charity  was  not  without  its  reward,  for  the  Saint  profited  by 
the  occasion  to  speak  to  them  on  things  concerning  their 
eternal  salvation.  His  gentle,  loving  voice  and  manner 
effected  even  more  than  his  words,  and  the  zeal  he  had 
shown  in  braving  every  kind  of  peril  and  suffering  for  the 
sake  of  bringing  back  a  few  stray  sheep  to  the  fold,  spoke 
more  forcibly  to  their  hearts  than  a  thousand  sermons. 
These  poor  peasants  were  moved  and  touched,  and  S. 
Francis  numbered  them  among  his  first  converts. 

The  winter,  always  severe  in  Savoy,  was  this  year  one  of 
unusual  rigour.  The  roads  were  one  sheet  of  ice,  and 
Francis  was  obliged  to  put  iron  clamps  on  his  shoes,  in 
order  to  prevent  himself  from  slipping.  As  he  suffered 
terribly  from  broken  chilblains,  his  heels  became  in  such 
a  state  that  the  blood  stained  the  snow  as  he  walked  along, 
penetrating  through  his  stockings  and  gaiters.  One  night 
he  arrived,  with  his  cousin,  Louis,  at  a  village  where  all 
the  doors  were  closed  against  him.  In  vain  they  knocked 
and  entreated  for  admission ;  the  inhabitants,  who  had 
been  prejudiced  against  them,  refused  to  give  them  shelter; 
they  crept  into  the  village  oven,  which  was  still  warm,  and 
there  slept. 

On  the  17th  July,  he  preached  a  wonderful  sermon  at 
Thonon  on  the  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  showed  his 
hearers  that  the  Catholic  Church,  so  far  from  destroying 
this  doctrine,  as  the  Protestant  asserted,  based  her  whole 
system  upon  it. 

During  the  early  portion  of  the  Chablais  mission,  Francis 
of  Sales  was  sent  by  the  Pope's  command  to  Theodore 
Beza  the  reformer,  a  learned  man,  then  living  at  Geneva. 
A  great  effort  was  to  be  made  to  bring  about  his  conver- 

* — ■ — • ■ * 


* * 

454  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  39. 

sion.  But  no  arguments  availed,  and  on  parting,  Beza 
politely  said :  "  You  have  convinced  me  of  one  thing  that 
I  did  not  believe  before — that  a  Catholic  can  be  saved." 
Francis  reported  his  ill-success  to  the  Pope  and  asked  for 
further  instructions.  These  instructions  came.  The  Pope 
offered  to  buy  Beza's  conversion  at  the  price  of  4000  gold 
crowns,  and  a  lump  sum  down  of  twice  the  value  of  his 
personal  property.  One  wonders  as  much  at  Francis  con- 
descending to  make  this  abominable  offer,  as  at  Clement 
VIII  having  the  effrontery  to  require  it  of  him.  At  the 
insulting  offer,  Beza's  aged  face  kindled  with  wrath.  He 
pointed  to  his  empty  bookshelves  whose  precious  contents 
had  been  sold  to  provide  for  the  necessities  of  Huguenot 
refugees  from  France,  and  opening  the  door  for  his  guest, 
bade  him  quit,  exclaiming,  "  Vade  retro,  Sathanas  !  " 

Francis  now  thought  it  high  time  to  act  in  a  different 
manner,  and  if  there  were  no  persuading  or  convincing  the 
people  of  the  Chablais  by  argument,  to  use  constraint  to 
force  them  to  enter  the  Church.  From  his  own  words  we 
can  see  that  his  mission  had  been  a  wretched  failure. 

According  to  the  breviary  lesson  for  his  feast,  he  suc- 
ceeded within  a  few  years  in  converting  72,000  persons, 
which  is  a  remarkable  miracle,  as  the  whole  population  of 
the  Chablais  at  the  time  did  not  amount  to  more  than 
41,000.  The  estimate  is  made  by  comparing  the  census 
of  1558  with  that  of  1694.  On  the  one  hand  we  are 
assured  that  none  could  resist  his  eloquent  appeals  to 
return  to  the  bosom  of  the  Mother  Church,  on  the  other 
hand  we  have  Francis's  own  testimony  that  the  results  of 
his  mission  before  the  pike  was  brought  into  play  were 
almost  nil. 

In  1596,  in  November,  he  crossed  the  Alps  for  a  personal 
interview  with  the  Duke  at  Turin,  and  he  produced  a  pro- 
gramme which  was   to  be  sanctioned  by  the  Duke  and 

£ -— . £ 


January 29]  .S.  Francis  of  Sales.  455 

Council,  and  which,  if  carried  out,  would  effectually  alter 
the  complexion  of  affairs  in  the  Chablais.  He  asked  to  be 
given  one  of  the  churches  in  Thonon  in  which  to  say  Mass; 
also  the  appointment  of  priests  and  schoolmasters  at  fixed 
revenues,  throughout  the  province :  then  the  revenues  now 
absorbed  by  the  Calvinist  ministers  to  be  taken  from  them 
and  restored  to  the  Church.  Further,  that  the  Protestant 
pastor  of  Thonon  should  be  expelled;  that  Protestants, 
after  a  short  time,  should  be  deprived  of  their  public  offices, 
and  Catholics  appointed  in  their  place;  that  promises  of 
promotion  should  be  held  out  to  the  young  men  who  would 
change  their  religion.  That  gratuities  should  be  paid  to 
all  converts,  and  that  Protestant  books  should  be  burnt. 
There  were  other  requirements,  but  these  are  the  principal. 

The  Council  at  once  and  peremptorily  objected  to  this 
proposal  as  perfidious.  The  Duke  was  bound  by  the  treaty 
of  Nyon.  He  must  not  go  against  his  pledges.  But  the 
Duke  was  high-handed;  he  cleared  the  Council  chamber, 
and  granted  the  Saint  if  not  all,  yet  a  good  deal,  of  what 
he  desired. 

On  his  return  to  Thonon,  he  at  once  set  to  work  to 
transform  S.  Hippolyte  into  a  Catholic  church,  in  spite  of 
the  remonstrance  of  the  magistrates,  whom  he  overawed  by 
an  exhibition  of  the  Duke's  commission,  and  on  Christmas 
Day  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  saying  Mass  in  the  church, 
though  before  a  scanty  congregation  of  not  over  a  dozen. 
By  next  Christmas  Day  the  number  of  communicants  had 
swelled  to  800. 

In  1597,  the  aged  Bishop  of  Geneva  arrived  to  administer 
confirmation  for  the  first  time  for  sixty-three  years  in 
Thonon.  Three  hundred  of  the  inhabitants  of  Bellevaux 
arrived,  begging  for  admission  into  the  Catholic  Church. 
The  inhabitants  of  S.  Cergue  arrived  next,  bearing  at  their 
head  the  village  processional  cross,  which  had  been  con- 

I 


45 6  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  29. 

cealed  behind  a  partition  wall  during  the  period  of  Cal- 
vinist  domination.  Then  came  the  people  of  Bonneville. 
Whole  villages  embraced  the  opportunity  of  returning  to 
the  faith  of  their  fathers.  But  these  conversions  were 
not  wholly  due  to  the  labours  of  Francis.  They  were 
inspired  by  hope  of  release  from  taxation,  promised 
them  if  they  proved  amenable  to  reason,  by  President 
Favre,  who  had  also  gone  his  missionary  rounds  with 
promises  of  bribes,  and  threats  of  chastisement  to  the 
stubborn. 

But  the  work  of  reconversion  was  not  proceeding  expedi- 
tiously enough  to  satisfy  Francis,  and  he  urged  the  Duke 
to  come  in  person  to  Thonon  :  "  It  is  necessary,"  said  the 
Saint,  "to  scatter  terror  throughout  the  whole  population 
by  wholesome  edicts." 

The  Duke,  at  the  recommendation  of  Francis,  sent  him 
troopers — the  infamous  Martinengo  regiment  of  Spanish 
soldiers,  notorious  for  their  atrocities  committed  in  the 
Vaudois  valleys.  They  arrived  unexpected  by  all  save 
Francis.  "  Great  was  the  people's  surprise,"  says  Marsol- 
lier,  the  biographer  of  the  Saint,  "  when  they  beheld  the 
arrival  at  Thonon,  without  previous  notice,  of  the  regiment 
of  the  count  of  Martinengo,  Lieutenant-General  of  the 
Duke's  armies,  who  took  lodgings  in  the  town  to  await 
orders.  The  officers  called  in  a  body  on  Francis,  and 
informed  him  that  their  orders  were  to  do  nothing  except 
in  co-operation  with  him." 

Two  pastors  fled  from  Thonon  across  the  lakes  to  the 
Canton  of  Vaud,  where  they  were  received  as  martyrs,  and 
well  provided  for ;  one  other  had  his  head  cleft  by  a  sabre. 
This  was  the  only  murder  or  act  of  overt  barbarity  com- 
mitted by  these  ruffians  in  the  Chablais,  but  they  were 
billeted  about,  and  knew  how  to  make  their  presence  in- 
tolerable.    The  stubborn  were  crushed  with  taxes,  whilst 

*— ■ — * 


January 29.]  6*.  Francis  of  Sales.  457 

exemptions  and  promotions  were  lavished  on  the  com- 
plaisant. 

In  the  autumn  of  1598,  the  Duke  himself,  at  the  request 
of  Francis,  entered  the  Chablais  and  went  from  village  to 
village  and  harangued  his  subjects.  "He  caressed  those 
who  abjured  heresy,  and  made  them  presents ;  he  assured 
them  that  he  would  always  love  them  tenderly  as  his  chil- 
dren ;  and  by  this  means,  by  the  favours  he  granted  to  the 
converts,  he  managed  to  draw  over  a  host  of  others  who 
looked  to  obtain  the  same  advantages.  .  .  .  He  visited  in 
person  the  whole  of  the  Chablais,  and  he  assembled  the 
principal  inhabitants  of  the  parishes,  and  announced  to 
them  that  he  desired  all  his  subjects  to  profess  the  Catholic 
faith ;  he  represented  to  them  that  as  there  is  one  God  and 
one  Church,  he  would  never  suffer  two  religions  to  co-exist 
in  his  estates."  This  statement  is  from  a  MS.  account  of 
their  missions  in  the  Chablais  by  the  Capuchins,  published 
by  Gaberel. 

Finally,  the  Duke  visited  Thonon  in  person.  What 
follows  shall  be  given  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Nevins,  a 
Roman  Catholic  writer  : 

Order  had  been  already  given  for  the  total  suppression 
of  Protestant  gatherings  for  worship  throughout  the  Chab- 
lais. "The  day  after  this  order  was  given,  the  Duke 
ordered  the  Protestants  to  assemble  in  the  Town  Hall, 
and  lined  the  streets  and  Place  with  the  accursed  Mar- 
tinengo  regiment." 

Secret  preparations  were  made  for  a  treacherous  night 
assault  on  Geneva,  at  a  time  when  peace  reigned  between 
Savoy  and  the  Republic.  It  was  plotted  for  the  dark  night, 
nth-i2th  December  1602.  Two  hundred  troops  of  Savoy 
advanced  unperceived  on  the  town,  and  the  Duke  himself 
hovered  in  the  neighbourhood.  Before  three  in  the  morn- 
ing the  walls  had  already  been  escaladed  by  two  hundred 

*- — * 


* # 

45§  LiveS    Of  the    SaintS.  [January  29. 

men,  who  made  the  attempt  to  burst  open  the  new  gate 
from  the  inside.  The  burghers,  taken  by  surprise  as  they 
were,  and  half  naked,  nevertheless  rushed  to  arms  with 
alacrity,  slew  seventy-six  of  the  Savoyards,  and  took  thirteen 
prisoners,  whom  they  straightway  hanged :  the  rest  en- 
deavoured to  save  themselves  by  leaping  from  the  walls. 
The  refugees  fled  to  the  Duke,  who  was  hourly  expecting 
news  of  their  success.  "Vous  avez  fait  la  une  belle  ca- 
gade ! "  were  the  words  he  used  to  D'Aubigny,  the  leader 
of  the  expedition.  One  of  the  exasperating  sights  that  met 
the  Duke's  eye  as  he  rode  homeward  through  Annecy,  was 
a  long  train  of  sumpter-mules  sent  by  his  orders  from 
Turin,  laden  with  church  furniture,  and  with  eighty  hun- 
dredweight of  wax  candles  to  be  used  in  the  decoration 
and  illumination  of  S.  Peter's  at  Geneva,  when  its  Prince- 
Bishop  should  celebrate  mass  at  Christmas  in  his  own 
cathedral. 

Had  the  escalade  proved  successful,  the  horrors  of  the 
sack  of  Magdeburg  would  have  been  paralleled,  if  not 
exceeded,  by  the  horrors  of  the  sack  of  Geneva. 

So  Francis  never  had  the  happiness  on  which  he  had 
counted,  of  pontificating  in  the  cathedral  of  the  rebellious 
city. 

We  will  now  look  at  Francis  in  a  better  light — as  a 
prudent  and  good  organiser  of  his  diocese,  and  a  sympa- 
thetic director  of  souls.  It  must  be  insisted  on  that  he 
was  absolutely  sincere  in  his  convictions,  consistent  in  his 
life,  tender-hearted  towards  individuals  who  did  not  cross 
him ;  the  blemishes  in  his  life  were  due  to  his  education 
and  his  surroundings. 

Now  that  he  was  Bishop  of  Geneva,  he  set  to  work  to 
obtain  an  instructed  and  earnest  clergy.  At  that  period 
there  were  no  seminaries.  He  undertook  the  supervision 
and  in  a  large  measure  the  instruction  of  the  candidates 

* * 


■* 


January  29.]  5".  Francis  of  Sales.  459 

himself.  He  would  ordain  no  man  unless  he  felt  confi- 
dent that  his  heart  was  in  his  work.  "  I  do  not  want 
many  priests  so  much  as  thoroughly  good  priests,"  he 
said.  He  insisted  that  in  every  church  on  Sundays  there 
should  be  plain  catechizing  in  the  Christian  verities  ;  and 
he  was  specially  urgent  on  his  clergy  not  to  stuff  their 
sermons  with  great  swelling  words,  but  to  speak  to 
their  flocks  straight  out  of  their  hearts  in  plain  and 
homely  words. 

He  was  never  weary  of  making  visitations  throughout 
the  diocese :  not  a  valley,  however  remote,  into  which  he 
did  not  penetrate. 

In  1599,  S.  Francis  was  appointed  coadjutor  bishop  of 
Geneva.  The  continual  disputes  between  France  and  Savoy 
were  at  length  adjusted  by  a  treaty  contracted  at  Lyons,  by 
which  the  latter  government  yielded  to  the  former  the 
province  of  Gex  to  the  north  of  the  lake  of  Geneva,  contain- 
ing thirty-seven  parishes,  with  about  30,000  inhabitants. 
S.  Francis  visited  Paris  in  1602,  and  persuaded  Henry  IV. 
to  re-establish  the  exercise  of  the  Catholic  religion  throughout 
Gex,  wherever  there  were  a  sufficient  number  of  Catholics  ; 
only  the  king  stipulated  that  this  should  be  done  gradually, 
so  as  to  avoid  giving  alarm  to  the  Protestants. 

Francis  now  returned  to  Savoy,  where  the  failing  health  of 
the  aged  Bishop  of  Geneva  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  be 
present.  Some  time  previous  to  his  death,  he  had  the 
consolation  of  celebrating  the  jubilee  at  Thonon,  by  which 
the  history  of  the  conversion  of  the  Chablais  was  wound  up. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  pilgrims  of  all  ranks,  in  companies 
preceded  by  cross  and  banner,  poured  from  all  the  country 
round,  making  the  Alpine  valleys  resound  with  their  pious 
chants,  as  they  thanked  God  for  having  brought  them  out  of 
darkness  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 
More  than  a  hundred  confessors  were  engaged  continually 


*- 


* * 

460  Lives    Of  the    SaintS.  [January** 

at  the  tribunal  of  penance;  and  altogether  62,000  com- 
munions were  made  in  the  church  of  Thonon.  On  Dec. 
8th,  1602,  Francis  was  consecrated  bishop,  and  appointed 
to  the  see  of  Geneva,  in  the  parish  church  of  Thonon. 

The  first  business  which  Francis  undertook  after  he  was 
settled  at  Annecy,  the  seat  of  the  Bishops  of  Geneva,  after 
their  expulsion  by  the  Calvinists  from  the  city  of  Geneva, 
was  to  establish  a  confraternity  of  Christian  Doctrine,  and  to 
make  catechetical  instruction  his  strongest  point.  He  heard 
the  classes  himself  every  Sunday.  A  more  interesting  sight 
there  could  not  be  than  to  behold  him,  seated  in  front  of  the 
altar,  teaching  the  little  ones,  the  girls  on  one  side,  and  the 
boys  on  the  other.  Twice  in  the  year  he  made  a  festival  for 
the  children,  and  went  through  the  city  with  them  proces- 
sionally,  singing  Litanies.  The  influence  of  his  kindness 
over  them  was  so  great,  that  he  never  came  forth,  without  the 
children  running  out  from  every  nook  and  corner  of  the 
streets  to  ask  his  blessing  or  kiss  his  robe.  When  some 
friends  complained  of  the  troops  of  them  who  followed  him, 
he  said  gently,  "  Suffer  them  to  come,  they  are  my  own 
dear  little  people." 

In  1603,  when  he  was  preaching  the  Lent  course  of  ser- 
mons at  Dijon,  by  invitation  of  the  magistrates,  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Jane  Frances  of  Chantal,  in  combination 
with  whom  he  afterwards  founded  the  Order  of  the  Visitation. 
In  1605  and  1606,  he  made  a  general  visitation  of  his  whole 
diocese,  undergoing  great  fatigue,  and  often  danger,  in  tra- 
versing the  Alpine  districts,  which  formed  the  greatest  part 
of  it,  and  everywhere  preaching,  catechizing,  and  hearing 
confessions.  In  16 18,  Francis  was  chosen  by  the  Duke  of 
Savoy  to  accompany  an  embassy  to  Paris  to  negotiate  the 
marriage  of  his  son  with  the  daughter  of  Henry  IV.,  and  sister 
of  Louis  XIII.  The  negotiations  of  the  embassy  lasted  for 
nearly  a  year,  during  which  Francis  received  incessant  invi- 

* 


S.   ALDEGUND.     After  Cahier. 


Jan.,  p.  460.] 


[Jan.  30. 


January  29.]  S.     Frauds    of  SdleS.  46  I 

tations  to  preach,  which  he  did  almost  daily,  the  people 
never  tiring  of  listening  to  him.  The  secret  of  his  power 
lay  in  the  exquisite  charm  of  divine  grace  which  radiated 
from  him.  The  churches  were  so  crowded,  that  it  more 
than  once  happened  that  a  ladder  had  to  be  brought  for  the 
preacher  to  enter  by  the  window,  the  doors  being  completely 
blocked  up.  People  ran  to  gaze  at  him,  or  to  touch  his 
robe  as  he  passed  in  the  streets.  Cardinal  de  Retz,  Bishop 
of  Paris,  had  set  his  heart  on  having  him  as  his  coadjutor, 
and  offered  him  a  rich  pension,  the  entire  control  of  his 
diocese,  and  the  appointment  of  his  brother,  John  Francis, 
to  succeed  him  at  Geneva,  if  he  would  consent  to  come; 
but  all  was  in  vain. 

By  degrees  the  whole  of  the  territory  of  Gex  was  catholi- 
cized, and  Francis  had  the  felicity  of  continually  organizing 
fresh  parishes  which  had  submitted  to  the  Catholic  Church. 
Towards  the  close  of  1622,  he  was  invited  to  attend  the  Duke 
of  Savoy  at  Avignon,  where  he  was  to  meet  Louis  XIII. 
Francis  had  a  presentiment  that  this  journey  would  be  his 
last ;  but  he  did  not  think  it  right  to  decline  the  invitation 
of  his  sovereign.  Accordingly  he  made  preparation,  with  the 
utmost  calmness,  as  if  to  return  no  more.  He  made  his  will, 
and  gave  directions  concerning  his  funeral,  which  he  desired 
should  be  modest  On  November  8th  he  bade  farewell  to 
his  friends  and  started  next  day.  At  Lyons  a  trifling  inci- 
dent happened,  which  is  worth  relating,  as  an  example  of 
his  sweet  and  gentle  demeanour.  As  he  was  going  on  board 
the  boat,  the  ferryman  refused  to  receive  him  without  his 
passport.  When  his  attendants  were  angry  at  the  delay,  the 
bishop  remarked,  "  Let  him  alone,  he  knows  the  duties  of  a 
boatman ;  we  have  forgotten  that  of  a  traveller."  He  had 
to  wait  an  hour  for  the  passport  in  a  bitterly  cold  wind. 
When  at  last  they  got  on  board,  he  went  and  sat  by 
the   boatman,   observing,   "  I  wish   to   make  friends  with 

* * 


462  LlVeS    Of  the    SatntS.  [January  29. 

this  good  man,  and  to  talk  to  him  a  little  of  our  Blessed 
Lord." 

At  Avignon  he  held  aloof  from  all  the  magnificence  which 
the  re-union  of  two  courts  in  that  splendid  age  so  lavishly 
displayed,  and  spent  his  time  in  prayer,  and  in  conference 
with  religious  persons.  On  his  way  home  he  remained  at 
Lyons,  very  ill.  Nevertheless  he  said  his  midnight  Mass  on 
Christmas  morning  and  preached  on  the  day  with  great  fer- 
vour. He  then  heard  confessions,  and  said  his  third  Mass 
shortly  before  noon,  after  which  he  broke  his  fast  Then  he 
gave  the  habit  to  two  novices,  preached,  received  a  number 
of  visitors,  and  waited  on  the  Queen,  Marie  de  Medicis,  who 
was  to  leave  Lyons  next  day.  Yet  he  was  actually  a  dying 
man  when  he  thus  crowded  such  astonishing  exertions  into 
one  day.  Next  day,  the  Feast  of  S.  Stephen,  he  bade  his 
last  farewell  to  the  nuns  of  the  Visitation,  the  order  he  had 
founded.  On  the  following  morning  he  confessed,  said 
Mass,  and  gave  the  Holy  Communion  to  the  nuns.  The 
Superioress  noticed  his  altered  looks.  Outside  the  church 
he  was  detained  talking  to  some  noblemen.  It  was  cold 
and  foggy,  and  he  felt  a  chill.  By  the  time  he  got  home  he 
was  excessively  fatigued  and  ill;  but  he  sat  down  to  write 
letters,  and  received  several  visitors.  On  their  departure  his 
servant  came  in,  and  began  to  tell  him  about  a  sermon  he 
had  heard,  in  which  the  preacher  exhorted  the  Queen  to  love 
her  servants.  Francis  said,  "And  you,  do  you  love  me?" 
The  good  servant  could  not  speak  for  weeping,  seeing  how 
deadly  ill  he  looked.  The  saint  continued :  "  And  I,  too, 
love  you  well ;  but  let  us  love  God  above  all."  As  he  said 
these  words  he  sank  back  in  a  fit.  Next  day  the  physicians 
resorted  to  all  the  expedients  used  in  the  barbarous  surgery 
of  the  age,  blisters  on  the  head,  the  application  of  a  hot 
iron  to  the  nape  of  the  neck,  and  a  red-hot  ball  pressed  on 
the  crown  till  it  burnt  to  the  bone.    He  gradually  sank  after 

* * 


*- 


-* 


January  29.]  5*.    FrUHCZS    of  SdleS. 


463 


these  operations,  and  his  lips  moving  in  prayer,  when  unable 
to  utter  words,  those  in  attendance  knelt  and  recited  the 
"  Recommendation  for  a  departing  soul,"  during  which  his 
gentle  spirit  departed  to  its  rest. 

The  body,  after  having  been  embalmed,  was  removed  to 
Annecy,  and  reposes  in  the  Church  of  the  Visitation. 


P15p 

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— 

*- 


-* 


464  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  3a 


January  30. 

S.  Serena,  M.,  at  Mttx,  a.d  303. 

S.  Sabina  or  Savina,  W.,  in  the  Milanese,  beginning  of  4th  cent 

S.  Barsas,  B.C.,  of  Edesta,  cite.  A.D.  3J1. 

S.  Felix,  Pope,  a.d.  530. 

S.  Aldegund,  V.,  at  Maubeuge  in  France,  circ.  A.D.  680. 

S.  Adelelm,  Ab.,  at  Burgos,  cire.  a.d.  1 100. 

S.  Hyacintha,  y„  at  Viterbo,  a.d.  1640. 

S.  BARSAS,  B.C.  OF  EDESSA. 

(ABOUT  A.D.   371.) 
[Roman  Martyrology.  Authority  :  Theodoret,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  iv.c.  16.] 

ARSES  or  Barsas,  Bishop  of  Edessa  was  banished 
by  the  Arian  Emperor  Valens  to  the  Isle  of 
Aradus ;  but  when  it  was  found  that  multitudes 
resorted  to  him,  for  he  was  filled  with  apostolic 
gifts,  the  emperor  sent  him  to  Oxyrynchus,  a  city  of  Egypt 
But  as  his  fame  still  attracted  attention,  he  was  banished  to 
a  greater  distance ;  and  this  old  man,  "  who  was  worthy  of 
heaven,  was  then  conveyed  to  the  fortress  called  Philae, 
situated  on  the  frontier  of  the  barbarian  nations." 


S.  ALDEGUND,  V. 
(a.d.  680.) 

[Roman  and  many  ancient  Martyrologies  ;  by  others  on  Jan.  27th,  01 
Nov.  13th,  but  these  were  probably  days  of  translation  of  relics.  Au- 
thorities :  a  life  by  a  contemporary  quoted  in  an  anonymous  life  compiled 
from  already  existing  notices  ;  another  by  one  Hugbald,  and  another  by  a 
monk  of  S.  Ghislain.J 

The  blessed  Aldegund  was  the  daughter  of  Waldbert, 
Count  of  Hainault     Her  whole  heart  was  given  to  Christ 

4t * 


January  3o.]  &,     Adelelm.  465 


whom  she  chose  as  her  heavenly  bridegroom.  Her  parents, 
moved  by  her  example,  renounced  the  world,  and  distri- 
buted their  wealth  among  the  poor.  After  their  death,  in 
the  year  66 1,  Aldegund  took  the  veil,  and  retired  into  the 
forest  of  Maubeuge  where  she  built  a  convent,  and  became 
the  first  abbess.  When  her  fair  fame  was  attacked  by 
wicked  slanders,  so  that  she  suffered  agonies  of  grief,  she 
struggled  hard  to  submit  to  the  hand  of  God,  and  at  last, 
bowing  completely  to  His  will,  she  desired  that  He  would 
try  her  with  ever  keener  sufferings,  to  perfect  her  by  afflic- 
tion. She  was  shortly  after  attacked  with  cancer  in  the 
breast,  from  which  she  died  on  Jan.  30th,  a.d.  680. 


S.  ADELELM,  AB.  OF  BURGOS. 
(about  A.D.   1 100.) 

[Authority  :  his  life  by  Rudolf  the  monk,  who  died  1137.  S.  Adelelm  is 
called  also  Elesmo  or  Elmo ;  and  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  another 
Adelelm  or  Elmo,  who  is  only  beatified.] 

S.  Adelelm  was  a  noble  of  Lyons  in  France,  and  served 
in  the  army,  till  God  called  him  to  a  higher  walk,  then  he  re- 
nounced the  world,  and  became  a  monk  in  the  Abbey  of 
Chaise-Dieu,  after  a  visit  to  Rome.  He  was  ordained  priest 
by  Ranco,  Bishop  of  the  Auvergne,  but  when  he  heard  that 
the  bishop  had  been  suspended  for  having  simonically  ob- 
tained the  see,  he  refused  to  execute  the  priestly  office,  till  a 
successor  was  appointed.  To  see  him,  Adelelm  started  one 
stormy  night.  The  way  was  dark,  and  the  tempest  raged  with 
such  fury  that,  but  that  it  was  necessary,  he  would  not  have 
started  then.  However,  he  took  a  candle,  lighted  it,  and 
gave  it  to  his  comrade,  and  bade  him  lead  the  way.  Not- 
withstanding the  violence  of  the  gale,  the  flame  burnt  steady, 

though  not  enclosed  in  a  lantern,  and  illumined  their  road. 
vol  1.  30 


-* 


% * 

466  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January 30. 

From  this,  the  electric  lights  seen  at  mastheads  are  called  by 
sailors  in  the  Mediterranean  S.  Elmo's  lights.  He  was  after- 
wards invited  to  Spain,  and  he  was  chosen  abbot  of  hi* 
order  in  the  monastery  of  Burgos,  where  he  died. 


S.  HYACINTHA,  V. 
(a.d.  1640.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.    Authority  :  the  Bull  of  her  Canonization.] 

S.  Hyacintha  was  the  daughter  of  Mark  Anthony  Maris- 
cotti,  Count  of  Vignanello,  and  of  Octavia  Orsini ;  she  was 
born  in  1588,  and  received  in  baptism  the  name  of  Clarissa, 
which  she  exchanged  for  that  of  Hyacintha  on  entering  the 
cloister. 

In  her  earliest  childhood  she  was  remarkable  for  her  piety, 
but  as  she  grew  older  she  became  giddy  and  frivolous.  In 
her  1 7th  year  she  was,  one  day,  playing  with  the  rope  of  a  well 
at  Vignanello,  when  she  slipped  over  the  edge,  and  hung,  en- 
tangled in  the  rope,  which  held  her  some  minutes  suspended 
above  the  horrible  pit,  till  a  servant,  observing  her  peril,  from 
the  castle  window,  ran  to  her  assistance,  and  rescued  her. 
The  shock  of  this  accident  seemed  for  a  while  to  steady 
her.  She  shortly  after  fell  in  love,  and  a  marriage  was 
projected,  but  when,  through  family  circumstances,  it  was 
broken  off,  Clarissa  would  hear  of  nothing  but  of  taking 
the  veil,  and  burying  her  broken  heart  in  a  convent. 
Her  father  refused  at  first,  but  yielding  at  length  to  her 
sentimental  vehemence,  which  he  mistook  for  real  vocation, 
allowed  her  to  take  the  veil  in  the  convent  of  S.  Bernardine 
at  Viterbo. 

In  the  convent  her  heart  soon  healed,  and  she  became  an 
annoyance  to  the  whole  sisterhood  by  her  vanity  and  frivolity. 

* — ■+ 


S.   MARCELLA. 
After  an  Engraving  of  the  Seventeenth  Century. 


Jan. ,  p.  466.] 


[Jan.  31 


*- 


-* 


January  30.]  .£,     HyOCifltha.  467 

After  ten  years,  she  fell  ill,  and  sent  for  her  confessor.  He, 
knowing  her  character,  and  wearied  with  her  shallowness, 
sharply  rebuked  her  with,  "Beware,  Hyacintha,  heaven  is 
no  place  for  giddy-pates  !"  His  words  startled  her,  and  she 
cried  out,  "  Am  I  then  lost  for  ever." 

"  No,"  he  answered,  "  not  if  you  seek  pardon  for  your 
sins  of  the  just  and  merciful  God,  with  sincere  resolution 
of  amendment,  and  cease  to  be  a  scandal  and  worry  to  the 
poor  sisters  of  this  house,  by  your  emptiness  and  light  talk, 
and  worldly  ways."  Bursting  into  a  flood  of  tears,  she 
promised  amendment  sent  for  all  the  sisters,  and  humbly 
asked  their  pardon,  and  prayers.  Then  she  cast  herself  at 
her  confessor's  feet,  and  made  a  sincere  confession.  She 
now  completely  changed  her  life;  she  would  not  wear  shoes, 
and  only  put  on  the  meanest  dress.  She  strove  manfully  to 
overcome  the  purposelessness  of  her  life  and  the  feebleness 
of  her  will ;  and  as  she  gradually  mastered  herself  and  her 
vanity,  there  broke  on  that  soul,  so  long  entangled  in  a  fog 
of  petty  cares  and  pleasures,  the  burning  sun  of  the  love  of 
Jesus,  filling  her  with  reality,  earnestness,  and  devotion.  In 
after  years  her  character  was  completely  the  reverse  of  what 
it  had  been,  was  full  of  dignity  and  meekness,  and  above 
all,  had  a  purpose  in  it.  In  a  time  of  want,  she  founded 
two  institutions,  one  for  the  secret  relief  of  decayed  gentle- 
folks, suffering,  but  too  proud  to  ask  alms,  or  display  their 
misery;  the  other  a  hospital  for  old  people.  Both  societies, 
known  under  the  name  of  the  Oblates  of  S.  Mary,  exist  to 
this  day  at  Viterbo. 

The  mercy  of  God  rewarded  this  poor  servant,  and  she 
was  given  singular  privileges,  a  remarkable  gift  of  prayer, 
and  a  discernment  of  spirits,  that  is,  she  could  read  the 
troubles  of  hearts.  She  died  in  the  year  1640,  calling  on 
the  sacred  names  of  Jesus  and  Mary,  in  the  55th  year  of  her 
age. 

* ■* 


*- 


-* 


468 


Lives  of  the  Saints. 


[January  30, 


She  was  beatified  by  Benedict  XIII.,  in  1726,  and  canon- 
ized by  Pius  VII.,  on  May  24th,  1807. 

This  is  one  of  those  instances  of  the  love  and  fore-thought 
of  the  Church  in  holding  up  to  every  class  of  mind  and 
sort  of  temptation,  an  example  of  salvation  in  it  We  have 
seen  her  fearlessness  in  exhibiting  S.  James  the  hermit  to  the 
fallen  religious,  here  she  shows  to  the  thoughtless  and  giddy 
female  mind,  that  for  it  Jesus  thirsts  in  spite  of  its  emptiness, 
and  that  for  it  there  is  sanctity  if  it  will  try  to  seek  it 


Virgin  in  Crescent,   after  Albert  Durer 


*" 


"* 


S.    U  LP  HI  A.     From  Cahier. 


Jan.,  p.  468.] 


[Jan.  31 


-* 


January  3i.]  SS.  Cyrus  and  John.  469 


January  31. 

S.S.  Cyrus,  John,  Athanajia  and  Othsrs,  MM.  in  Egypt  a.d.  a$o. 

S.  Gem  1  man,  B.  of  Modena,  in  Italy. 

S.  Julius  P,  and  Julian  D.,  at  No-vara,  in  Italy,  beginning  of  $th  cent. 

S.  Marcklla,  W.,  at  Rome,  a.d. 410. 

S.  Patroclus,  B.M.,  in  France. 

S.  Gaud,  B.,  of  E-vreux  in  Normandy,  circ.  a.d.  J31. 

S.  Aidan  or  Maidoc,  B.,  of  Ferns,  in  Ireland,  beginning  of'jlh  cent. 

S.  Adamnan,  P.,  of  Coldingham,  end  of'jlh  cent. 

S.  Ulphia,  V,,  at  Amiens,  8th  cent. 

S.  Athanasius,  B.,  of  Methane  in  the  Peloponesus,  gth  cent. 

S.  Eusibius,  Monk  of  S.  Gall  in  Switzerland,  a.d.  884. 

S.  Martin,  P.,  of  Soure  near  Coimbra,  in  Portugal,  a.d.  1147. 

S.  Serapion,  M.,  among  the  Moors,  a.d.,  1240. 

S.  Pktkr  Nolasco,  C,  in  Spain,  a.d.  1256. 

S.S.  CYRUS,  JOHN  AND  OTHERS,  MM.,  IN 

EGYPT. 

(a.d.  250.) 

[Commemorated  by   Greeks,    Latins,   and   Copts  on    the    same   day. 
Authority  :  ancient  Greek  Acts.] 

jYRUS,  a  physician  of  Alexandria,  who,  by  the 
opportunities  which  his  profession  gave  him,  had 
converted  many  sick  persons  to  the  faith  ;  and 
John,  an  Arabian,  hearing  that  a  lady,  called 
Athanasia,  and  her  three  daughters,  Theodosia,  Theoctista 
and  Eudoxia,  of  whom  the  eldest  was  only  fifteen  years  of 
age,  had  suffered  torments  at  Canope  in  Egypt  for  the  name 
of  Christ,  went  thither  to  console  them.  They  were  them- 
selves apprehended  and  cruelly  beaten ;  their  sides  were 
burnt  with  torches,  and  salt  and  vinegar  were  poured  into 
their  wounds  in  the  presence  of  Anastasia  and  her  daughters, 
who  were  also  tortured  after  them.  At  length  the  four  ladies, 
and  a  few  days  after,  Cyrus  and  John,  were  beheaded,  the 
two  latter  on  this  day. 

vol.  1.  30  * 


-* 


47°  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  3i. 

S.  MARCELLA,  W. 
(a.d.  410.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.     Authority :  the  Letters  of  S.  Jerome.] 

Marcella,  a  young  widow,  whose  name  alone  is  enough  to 
recall  the  best  days  of  the  Roman  republic,  and  whose  rare 
beauty,  enhanced  by  the  long  and  illustrious  line  of  her  ances- 
tors, drew  around  her  numerous  suitors,  rejected  the  suit  of 
Cerealtis,  the  consul,  and  resolved  to  imitate  the  lives  of  the 
ascetics  of  the  East.  Afterwards,  when  S.  Jerome  came  to 
Rome  to  renew  the  instructions  and  narratives  of  those  holy 
men  by  adding  to  them  the  living  commentary  of  his  own 
life,  Marcella,  with  her  mother  Albinia,  and  her  sister  Asella, 
placed  herself  at  the  head  of  that  select  number  of  illustrious 
matrons  who  took  him  as  their  guide  and  oracle.  She 
astonished  the  holy  doctor  by  her  knowledge  of  the  Divine 
Scriptures,  she  fatigued  him  by  her  thirst  always  to  know 
more  of  them  than  he  could  teach  her;  she  made  him 
afraid  to  find  in  her  a  judge  rather  than  a  disciple.  In  her 
palace  on  Mount  Aventine,  she  collected,  under  the 
presidency  of  Jerome,  the  most  pious  among  the  noble 
ladies,  for  mutual  strength  and  enlightenment.  After  having 
thus  first  given  to  Rome  the  true  model  of  a  Christian 
widow,  she  passed  the  last  thirty  years  of  her  life  in  her 
suburban  villa  transformed  into  a  monastery.  The  Goths 
under  Alaric  plundered  Rome  in  410.  S.  Marcella  was 
scourged  by  them  to  deliver  up  her  treasures,  which  however 
she  had  long  before  distributed  among  the  poor.  All  the 
while  she  was  in  anguish  of  soul  for  her  dear  spiritual  child 
Principia,  and  falling  at  the  feet  of  the  cruel  soldiers,  she 
tearfully  implored  them  to  spare  her  insult  They  conducted 
them  both  to  the  Church  of  S.  Paul,  to  which  Alaric  had 
granted  the  right  of  sanctuary,  and  suffered  the  beautiful 
young  nun  Principia  to  remain  unmolested.     S.  Marcella  did 

* % 


S.    PETER   NOLASCO,   FOUNDER    OF  THE    ORDER 

OF  OUR    LADY   OF   MERCY   FOR   THE 

REDEMPTION   OF   CAPTIVES. 

From  Cahier. 


Jan.,  p.  470.] 


[Jan.  31. 


% —X 

January  3 1.]  S.    Aldan.  47  I 

not  survive  this  long,  but  died  peacefully  in  the  arms  of 
Principia,  about  the  end  of  August,  410,  but  her  name  occurs 
in  the  Roman  Martyrology  on  Jan.  31st 


S.  AIDAN  OR  MAIDOC,  B.,  OF  FERNS. 

(ABOUT  A.D.  632.) 

[S.  Aidan  of  Ferns  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  illustrious  S.  Aidan 
of  Lindisfarne,  the  apostle  of  Northumbria,  who  is  commemorated  on  Aug. 
31st.  The  name  seems  to  have  been  a  very  common  one  in  Ireland,  for 
Colgan  asserts  that  there  are  in  the  ancient  Irish  Martyrologies  as  many  as 
thirty-five  Saints  of  this  name.  Authority  :  an  ancient  life  from  Kilkenny, 
but  certainly  not  more  ancient  than  the  12th  cent.] 

S.  Maidoc  or  Aidan  was  the  son  of  Setna,  a  noble  of  Con- 
naught,  by  his  wife  Edna ;  who,  having  for  a  long  time  no  heir, 
sought  that  blessing  from  God  by  alms-deeds  and  prayers ; 
which  was  at  last  granted.  This  child  of  prayer  was  born  in 
the  island  called  Innis-Breagh-muigh,  in  a  lake  in  the  diocese 
of  Kilmore,  and  from  his  childhood  declined  evil  and  fol- 
lowed that  which  is  good.  After  having  learnt  the  first 
rudiments  of  piety  in  his  own  country,  he  left  home,  and 
sailed  into  Britain,  to  place  himself  under  the  discipline  of 
the  great  S.  David  of  Menevia.  With  that  holy  man  he 
remained  many  years,  and  was  one  of  his  favourite  disciples. 
A  remarkable  instance  of  his  prompt  obedience  is  related. 
Being  called  by  a  superior  from  reading  his  book  in  the 
field  near  the  monastery,  to  follow  a  pair  of  oxen  at  the 
plough,  he  made  such  haste  to  obey,  that  he  left  his  book 
open  in  the  field,  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  fell,  but  when  he 
recovered  the  book  it  was  not  wet.  S.  David  had  seen  him 
leave  the  volume  open  before  the  rain  fell,  and  calling  him 
to  him,  bade  him  prostrate  himself  as  a  punishment  for 
having,  as  he  supposed,  by  his  carelessness,  spoiled  a  valu- 
able book.     S.  Maidoc  at  once  obeyed,  and  S.  David  went 

* — —  * 


472  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ji. 

about  his  work  and  forgat  him.  After  some  hours,  when 
the  office  was  being  said,  he  observed  that  Maidoc  was  not 
present.  Then  he  sent  in  quest  of  him,  and  he  was  found 
prostrate  on  the  sea  shore,  where  his  master  had  bidden 
him  lie,  and  he  had  not  risen,  because  S.  David  had  not 
removed  his  penance. 

At  length,  with  the  blessing  of  his  master,  taking  with 
him  other  religious  of  Menevia,  he  returned  to  Ireland, 
where  he  founded  many  churches  and  monasteries  \  of  which 
the  chief  was  Ferns  to  which  he  was  consecrated  first 
Bishop.  The  prodigies  related  of  him,  are  like  so  many  in 
the  lives  of  the  Irish  Saints,  quite  incredible,  as  for  instance, 
his  having  driven  to  Rome  and  back  in  twenty-four  hours, 
his  having  fed  six  wolves  with  six  sheep  and  then  restored 
the  sheep  whole ;  his  having  brought  a  sea-cow  out  of  the 
ocean  to  draw  his  plough,  and  having  returned  from  a  visit 
to  S.  David  in  Wales  on  the  back  of  a  sea-monster;  his 
having  called  his  bell,  which  he  had  left  behind  him  Wales, 
and  it  came  over  the  waves  with  prompitude. 

All  these  are  fables,  which  accumulated  in  process  of 
time  about  the  lives  of  the  Irish  Saints,  before  they  were 
committed  to  writing. 

S.  ULPHIA  V. 
(8th  cent.) 

[From  the  life  of  S.  Domitius,  October  23rd  ;  and  from  an  ancient  life 
of  the  Saint.] 

The  blessed  Ulphia  was  the  daughter  of  noble  parents 
in  Gaul,  she  was  singularly  beautiful  in  face  and  graceful  in 
person ;  consequently  she  was  sought  by  many  suitors,  but, 
with  her  father's  consent  she  vowed  to  observe  perpetual 
chastity.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  she  received  the  veil 
from  the  hands  of  the  Bishop  of  Amiens,  and  then  she  re- 
tired to  S.    Acheuil  at   some  little  distance  from  the  city, 

* * 


* Iff 

January  31.]  S.      UlpkicL.  473 

where  she  ministered  to  S.  Domitius,  an  aged  hermit  and 
canon  of  Amiens.  The  old  man  was  wont  to  knock  at  the 
door  of  her  little  hut  as  he  passed  on  his  way  to  matins, 
and  she  rose  and  accompanied  him.  Now  the  place  was 
marshy  and  many  frogs  inhabited  the  pools.  One  night 
they  sang  so  shrilly  that  Ulphia  could  not  sleep,  but  tossed 
on  her  couch,  and  drew  her  serge-habit  about  her  ears,  with- 
out being  able  to  stop  their  voices  from  penetrating  her  brain 
and  keeping  her  awake.  After  many  hours  she  fell  asleep. 
Shortly  after,  Domitius  came  by  and  rapped  with  his  stick  at 
the  door.  There  was  no  answer,  so  he  called,  "  Ulphia,  my 
child,  get  up  !"  Then  he  rapped  louder  than  before.  Still 
there  was  no  answer,  so  he  called,  "  Ulphia,  my  child,  the 
second  watch  of  the  night  is  past."  As  he  received  no  an- 
swer, he  supposed  she  had  gone  on  before.  But  when  he 
reached  the  church,  he  looked  round,  and  he  saw  her  not 
And  when  matins  was  over,  he  returned  in  haste  and  fear, 
thinking  something  had  befallen  his  dear  child.  But  when 
he  came  to  the  cell,  Ulphia  stood  in  the  door.  Then  she 
reproached  him  for  not  having  called  her.  "  I  did  call  thee, 
I  knocked  loud,"  said  the  old  man.  "It  was  the  frogs' 
doing !"  exclaimed  Ulphia,  and  she  told  him  how  they  had 
kept  her  awake  half  the  night.  Then  casting  herself  on  the 
ground,  she  prayed  to  God  to  quiet  the  noisy  frogs ;  and 
Domitius  knelt  beside  her  and  said,  Amen.  After  that  the 
reptiles  troubled  her  no  more. 

When  she  was  dying  she  prayed,  "  Saviour  !  sanctify,  con- 
firm, keep,  rule,  strengthen,  comfort  me;  and  in  the  end 
bring  me  to  Thy  sempiternal  joys."  And  when  the  two 
virgins  who  had  watched  by  her  had  said  Amen,  she  fell 
asleep,  and  they  left  her.  At  dawn,  one  of  them  looked  in 
and  saw  that  she  was  dead,  and  in  dying  she  had  crossed 
her  hands  upon  her  breast,  her  face  was  bright  and  her  lips 
as  though  she  smiled. 

*- ■ * 


*- 


474  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [January  ji. 

S.  SERAPION,  M. 
(a.d.  1240.) 

He  was  an  Englishman,  whom  S.  Peter  Nolasco  received 
into  his  Order  at  Barcelona.  He  made  two  journeys  among 
the  Moors  for  the  ransoming  of  captives,  in  1240.  The 
first  was  to  Murcia,  in  which  he  purchased  the  liberty  of 
ninety-eight  slaves ;  the  second  to  Algiers,  in  which  he  re- 
deemed eighty-seven,  but  remained  himself  a  hostage  for 
the  full  payment  of  the  money.  He  boldly  preached  Christ 
to  the  Mahometans,  and  baptised  several,  for  which  he  was 
cruelly  tortured,  scourged,  cut  and  mangled,  at  length 
fastened  to  a  cross,  and  was  thereon  stabbed  and  quartered 
alive  in  the  same  year,  1240. 


S.  PETER  NOLASCO,  C. 
(a.d.  1256.) 

[Roman  Martyrology.    Authority  :  life  by  Franciscus  Zumel.J 

Peter  Nolasco  sprang  from  one  of  the  first  families  of 
Languedoc.  He  was  born  in  the  year  n  89,  in  the  village 
of  Mas  des  Saintes  Pucelles.  His  pious  parents  took  pains 
to  give  him  a  good  education,  and  to  cultivate  the  germs  of 
virtue  which  appeared  early  in  his  soul.  They  saw  with 
gladness  his  compassion  for  the  poor,  and  his  love  of  prayer. 
The  child  was  wont  to  distribute  his  pocket-money  in 
alms,  and  he  went  regularly  to  the  matin  office  sung 
shortly  after  midnight.  When  he  was  aged  15,  he  lost  his 
father,  who  left  him  heir  to  a  large  estate,  but  he  remained 
with  his  mother,  a  pious  woman,  who  laboured  to  strengthen 
and  confirm  in  him  those  graces  which  grew  and  expanded 
daily.  Being  solicited  to  marry,  he  remained  some  little 
while  in  hesitation,  but  at  last,  rising  one  night  he  cast  him- 


-* 


*— — * 

January  3i j  6".  Peter  Nolasco.  475 

self  before  his  crucifix  in  prayer,  and  remained  till  day 
broke  in  the  east,  imploring  God's  guidance,  and  then  feeling 
a  clear  call,  he  resolved  to  devote  his  patrimony  to  the 
honour  and  glory  of  God,  and  himself  to  celibacy.  He 
followed  Simon  de  Montfort,  in  the  crusade  against  the 
Albigenses,  an  heretical,  or  rather  heathen  sect,  holding  two 
Gods,  one  good,  the  other  evil,  and  who  had  devastated 
Navarre,  burning  churches  and  massacring  priests  and 
monks.  The  crusade  was  conducted  with  too  much  of 
worldly  ambition,  and  without  that  compassionate  love  which 
should  seek  to  win  by  gentleness  rather  than  force  by  the 
sword.  But  the  cruel  massacres  which  took  place  were  not 
the  work  of  the  crusaders,  but  of  a  mixed  multitude  of 
camp-followers,  who  obeyed  no  officers  but  such  as  they 
chose  to  appoint,  as  appears  from  the  contemporary  ac- 
counts of  that  war.  However,  Peter  Nolasco  was  in  no 
way  responsible  for  the  barbarities  which  sullied  this  terrible 
war.  In  the  battle  of  Muset,  the  King  of  Aragon,  who 
headed  the  Albigenses,  was  killed,  and  his  son,  aged  six,  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Simon  de  Montfort,  who  appointed  Peter 
Nolasco,  then  aged  twenty-five,  to  be  his  tutor,  and  sent 
both  together  into  Spain.  In  the  court  of  the  King  of 
Barcelona,  where  the  Kings  of  Aragon  resided,  Peter  led 
the  life  of  a  recluse.  The  Moors  at  that  time  were  pos- 
sessed of  a  considerable  portion  of  Spain,  and  great 
numbers  of  Christians  groaned  under  their  tyranny  in 
miserable  slavery  both  there  and  in  Africa.  Whenever 
Peter  saw  a  Christian  slave,  he  was  moved  with  sorrow ;  and 
he  resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  the  redemption  of  captives. 
He  endeavoured  to  found  a  religious  order  for  a  constant 
supply  of  men  and  means  whereby  to  carry  on  so  charit- 
able an  undertaking.  This  design  met  with  great  obstacles 
in  the  execution ;  but  the  Blessed  Virgin  appearing  to  the 
king,  S.  Raymund  of  Pennaforte,  and  S.  Peter  Nolasco,  the 

* ■ -* 


*- 


476  Lives  of  the  Saints.  [Januarys.. 

same  night,  in  visions,  encouraged  the  prosecution  of  this 
charitable  scheme. 

In  the  year  1223  S.  Peter  took  the  vows  before  the 
Bishop  of  Barcelona,  and  he  became  first  general  of  the 
new  order,  which  was  entitled  "  the  Order  of  Our  Lady  of 
Mercy  for  the  redemption  of  captives."  It  was  confirmed 
by  Pope  Gregory  IX.  in  1225.  The  habit  is  white,  with  a 
white  scapular,  and  the  arms  of  Aragon  were  worn  on  the 
breast,  by  desire  of  the  king. 

-  S.  Peter,  after  his  religious  profession,  renounced  all  his 
business  at  court,  and  no  entreaties  of  the  king  could  prevail 
on  him  to  appear  there  again,  except  once,  when  called  to 
reconcile  two  powerful  nobles,  who  by  their  dissension  had 
kindled  a  civil  war. 

He  made  several  journeys  along  the  coasts,  and  to  Algiers 
to  purchase  captives ;  on  one  of  these  expeditions  he  under- 
went imprisonment  for  the  faith.  He  died  on  Christmas 
day,  1286.  Almost  his  last  words  were  those  of  the 
Psalmist,which  summed  up  the  efforts  of  his  life,  "  The  Lord 
hath  sent  redemption  unto  His  people;  He  hath  com- 
manded His  covenant  for  ever." 


END   OF   VOL.    I. 


Printed  by  Pali.antyne,  Hanson  (V  Co. 
at  Paul's  Work,  Edinburgh 


*" 


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